Should Employers "Stalk" Employees on Facebook?

Herein lies the problem... Nearly anything that you discuss or post anywhere could be taken out of context by someone and used to "stalk" you. On social networking sites, the term "stalk" means to hunt for information that would harm someone and harass them with it. Isn't that what businesses are doing when the look at social networking sites to perform background checks?

For example, say that you mention in the lunch room that you and your family had a great time at Disneyworld; this information gets around the company and your boss thinks you don't need a raise right now, because you can afford to go to Disneyworld.

Now, add Facebook to the mix. You or one of your family members mention on Facebook that you had fun in Disneyworld. Everyone is able to snoop around and find the pictures, etc. The problem is not that you used Facebook; the problem is that people in your company may not understand how to properly use social networking sites. Hence, just because you took your family to Disneyworld doesn't mean you don't need a raise.

Facebook is not the problem, but it does make it easier for the company to stalk employees and misuse information. That same information could be obtained by eavesdropping in the lunch room or driving by an employee's house and looking through the windows.

The problem is sharing information with people at work in general and not necessarily through Facebook. Social networking may accelerate dysfunctional processes already present within an organization. Of course, who wants to work for a company that operates like that?