Last week we discussed privacy of the internet. In this week’s reading, the topic of anonymity of the internet is discussed. Clearly, both of these issues are very important to consumers of the online world, including myself.
Since I am a part of Generation Y, I have grown up with the internet. Ever since I started using the Internet, my parents have instilled precautions to take online: never tell anyone you don’t know your full name, where you live, or too many details about your life, etc. Why? Because you need to keep your private life secret, in case people with wrong intentions get ahold of your information.
So, like a good daughter and smart person, I kept those rules inside my head and was cautious of what information I post online. Then came facebook…
For some reason, facebook makes it ok to post what you’re doing, your latest pictures and a detailed profile of yourself online, for presumably anyone to see. While this is an outrageous thought: facebook truly does make people feel comfortable enough to forget about the boundaries of privacy and anonymity. Several years ago, I made my profile closed and locked, so people that are not my approved “friends” online can access my account. Why everyone else doesn’t do this is beyond me.
I am now graduating from college and am preparing to find a job. I’ve heard all about the rumors that employers use google and facebook to “screen” potential new employees. I thought I was protected because I have googled myself and locked my facebook… Well, I soon found out that was all wrong.
Just recently my boyfriend introduced me to a new website: spock.com Have you heard of it? Well, if you haven’t you need to log on right away. You will be shocked at what this firewall hacking, people stalking website can dig up on you. It can even give employers access to your locked facebook accounts. I was completely blown away and couldn’t believe the things that came up when I searched for myself- I thought google was good…. boy was I wrong.
So, this post is to share the knowledge of spock.com and to alert everyone that there are some sneaky people and websites out there and to be safe online. As great as it would be to be “anonymous” online, it really isn’t realistic.
