Cyber Bully

Facebook application hype may not only drive your friends crazy, or make your computer vulnerable to hacking, but now there is one more app that is making headlines.

It’s the Honesty Box, an application that you may opt to place on your profile, giving viewers the option to leave an anonymous note about what they truly think of you—think the anonymity of the “suggestion box” at work. What was designed to be a playful idea, but surely the starter of some teenaged drama, has gone awry.

Parents are arguing with Mark Zuckerberg, demanding that he remove the option of having this app on the site because their children are being “bullied” by the comments left in the Honesty Box. Some claims include “hurtful comments” or death threats. Zuckerberg responds that it violates Facebook’s Terms of Use to harass in such a matter and that individuals found acting this way will have their account suspended.

If you are unfortunate enough to experience hateful words, remove the application—don’t throw back nasty messages to every single friend demanding to know who said what. The Honesty Box is added to a profile voluntarily, so for children and the worrisome, maybe the best idea is to not add it at all. [Daily Telegraph]