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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTHE TRUTH ABOUT ONLINE PRIVACY: Who Cares?
http://www.businessinsider.com/online-privacy-who-cares-2012-2If you're worried about complete strangers stalking you, you're either famous or criminal -- in which case it's time to get some security -- or hopelessly neurotic.
"Well, that's not all they have. They've also got my phone number!"
So what are they going to do, prank call you? You've got caller ID, right? Don't answer calls from numbers you don't know. Let them leave a voice mail. Just like you do with your mom.
grrr
MadHound
(34,179 posts)That is the mantra being force fed people in this post privacy era. Along with that old one, "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about."
Meanwhile, more and more corporations, government agencies and private individual can find out more and more about you. Yes, if somebody was determined in the pre-digital era, they could track down pretty much the same amount of information about you that is now out there. But the sheer amount of work involved in going to country courthouses and such agencies in order to the research realistically negated that possibility. Now, with a click of a mouse, without leaving the comfort of the office, anybody can find out all this information about you, and use it against you. How many people have been fired for innocent Facebook posts? How often are employers scrounging the net in order to built a dossier about you, replete with information that doesn't relate to you work habits, but still determines whether or not you get hired or fired?
Not to mention that an increasing number of electronic devices are serving as electronic tags that can follow your every movement. Cell phones, GPS, OnStar, etc. etc.
But hey, don't worry, be happy. After all, if you have nothing to hide, if you've lived the life of a saint, you have nothing to worry about. But watch out, if that picture of you with with friends and a drink in your hand is somewhere online, you too can be fired.
luckyleftyme2
(3,880 posts)my first line of defense is my dog who can sense you 200 feet from my home unless he is outside then its 500 feet.
my secondline of defense is my ruger pistol which I carry 24/7 with a permit(but it wouldn't matter ) I would still be carrying.
my third line of defense is my semi-auto remington 12 gauge always loaded and within arms reach.
but if you manage to get by this #4 is an unpleasant surprize which will really make a mess for me to clean-up after your demise!
make my day
Tunkamerica
(4,444 posts)Iggo
(47,487 posts)...you have nothing to worry about.
Sleep, Good Citizen. Sleep.
RevStPatrick
(2,208 posts)napoleon_in_rags
(3,991 posts)First, the author has never been a beautiful woman. During the early days of the net I posed as one to see how people would react; lesson was lots of crazy men try to stalk beautiful women. Second, what does he mean if youre a "crimimal" you get stalked? If somebody is a criminal, you call the cops or feds. They get tried. The "criminals" who get stalked didn't commit any crime, they are victims of crimes.
Shandris
(3,447 posts)People with the OP's author's attitude (as opposed to the OP him/herself) truly frighten me. "They could look at your public records if they wanted to! They could get your SS number if they wanted to! They could <insert thing here> if they wanted to!"
Yes, at significant cost, effort, and traceability. Not in .0000034 seconds with no one the wiser. But whatever, I know privacy is a losing battle. Because a group of people hasn't considered the future implications (because we know EXACTLY how our information will be being used 20 years from now. I mean, back in the late 80's we knew DNA would never become useful either because it was so cost prohibitive...), we will all be subject to their lack of foresight. The Tyranny of Small Decisions, played out online, daily.