Many "social networking companies with business models hungry for personal data" are encouraging users to "overshare" without comprehending the consequences, the Mercury News reports. With the dangers of sharing too much information ranging from embarrassment to loss of employment to abuse by stalkers or scammers, consumer advocates and legislators are turning their attention to requiring companies to protect their users, the report states. At issue, according to some scholars, is the gap between what people say and what they do. "People report in studies that they care deeply about privacy," said Ryan Calo of Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society, "but then people don't seem to act in a way that protects their privacy."
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