It seems like a fairly clear concept to grasp—watch what you post on the Internet. Yet many students don’t think twice about oversharing on Facebook, and it’s becoming increasingly common for school administrators and employers to access that information and even hold students accountable.

Stories of Facebook fallout are a dime a dozen. Most recently, Danny Esmaili posted this message on the York Victims Facebook group: “If I am not compensated I will cause damage. Serious damage. Yes this is a threat.” The 21-year-old is in his third year at York University, and his comment referred to the strike that has shut down York for more than two weeks.

Esmaili’s post was reported to Toronto Police on Nov. 8. Police also found a photograph of a rifle and handgun on his Facebook page. The Toronto Star reported that according to Detective Rick Ramjattan of 31 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau, Esmaili said he wasn’t serious and the weapons recovered were actually pellet guns.

Esmaili’s comments and photographs have since been removed from Facebook, but the charges against him still stand.

The underlying issue is that many still think of Facebook as a private medium.

Jacob Mantle, president of the undergraduate student society at Queen’s University, is also in hot water over careless Facebook posts.

“I like your Taliban picture,” wrote Mantle about a friend’s photo of two girls wearing headscarves.

“At first I was reluctant to give an apology. The line to what is private and public is blurred,” said Mantle. He has since issued a public apology.

The Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University called for Mantle’s resignation, but announced that he would not be stepping down in a recent assembly. Unhappy with his decision, many are calling for his impeachment.

At least 30 people have been charged using evidence from Facebook since 2005. The site was launched in early 2004.

In October 2005, 15 students from North Carolina State University were charged with several alcohol offences, such as underage drinking, after faculty members found incriminating Facebook photos.

A student from John Brown University, a private Christian College in Arkansas, was expelled in January 2006 once school officials found pictures of the student dressed in drag on Facebook.

Eleven high school students in Caledon, Ontario, were suspended last year after the school discovered a Facebook group where they vented about the principal.

This February a first-year Ryerson student was faced with 147 academic charges after he created an online study group for one of his chemistry courses.

A recent survey administrated by Kaplan Inc. in September revealed that admission officers at 15 per cent of law schools, 14 per cent of medical schools and 9 per cent business schools have visited their applicant’s social networking sites during the admissions process. Many employers have also admitted to checking the Facebook pages of their job applicants.

Bottom line: watch yourself online—because you’re definitely being watched.