It amazes me that we believe anything can be put online and be kept private. When personal computers first came on the scene I was skeptical, could picture the bad guy spying into my private business. And wadda ya know, wasn’t long before “hackers” appeared on the scene.
Image Credit/appliance.net
Never put anything online, or on paper, that you don’t want the world to see I always say. There is no such thing as private when it comes to dealing with people or machines. Kinda leaves us between a rock and a hard place, doesn’t it?
I read in PC World Magazine that Barry Hoggard drew a line in the sand with FaceBook over the privacy issue. Can you imagine … after four years and 1,251 friends he said: see ya.
Did you know that today if a company, say Rapleaf in California, wants to put together a customer profile they may dig into your social networking sites? Axiom and Unbound Technology could also check out your Twitter or LinkedIn info and hook it up with your e-mail address. In other words, what you tweet can be used against you in a job interview. Your FaceBook status might be used by a credit agency. Or, advertisers can try to sell you their newest equipment.
Another thing that has happened is the sharing of data between online and offline companies like Datalog and Nielson. There’s more, but you get the idea.
Actually, it’s a form of profiling. If advertisers want to sell us the newest microwave that can turn shoe leather into lasagna … they can get to us. No one is safe, no e-mail is sacred.
May Your Glass Always Be Half Full
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Over the Edge:
Lance reveals his feelings as Marci lies in a coma;
she awakes … for a moment.
