When I first went online, I was much more cautious than I am now. I used to contact new online friends and warn them against information they had by which individuals with ulterior motives could hurt them financially, physically, etc. Some of them were scared, but they all knew they could trust me. You can too!
Identity theft is very easy and very common. Theives started actually stealing identities of young children because they know those people won't come of age and pay attention until they're done with High School. By then, they may have ruined your good name without you having done a thing. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
My sister and I talk about this all the time. We have kept the obvious information about us on Facebook and elsewhere to an absolute minimum. Nothing is foolproof. Avoid information by which they can find out basic information and steal your identity. Thieves need your sex, your name, and your birthday, and that's it. If you have your High School class and a bunch of pictures in which you're tagged and you get birthday greetings all over the place and use your real name, your friends are actually helping someone steal your identity. They don't mean to hurt you; it's just part of "social networking".
People on there don't really network in the classical sense. They play games, befriend complete strangers, and just post asinine banalities or updates. Some of these are dangerous like "Out of town for a few days". Why would you tell everyone that? That's like taping a sign to the door that says, "Rob my house while I'm gone". I am on there to connect with people I haven't seen in years, but I don't let anyone who is anyone know about everything. Facebook, for example, allows you to mask your profile so that people only see what you wish them to see. Or at least it used to...
You can't get your good name back without a lot of money and a lot of time. God knows how hard I have tried to right unfounded allegations over the years, and there are people who are convinced I am sure that I am evil or did them wrong. They have never contacted me to arrange a rational and reasonable means by which to make it right. It's easier just to bellyache and bombast your enemies than to actually work things out, especially if you're not really willing to admit you did anything wrong.
Protect yourself. Nobody, not in government, online, or even in your family cares about your well-being as much as you do. If you don't look out for yourself, who will?
Years ago in a faraway land, there was a highwayman. His job every night required him to trudge into the forest to a dark clearing and guide travelers to the right road. This road was heavily traveled at all hours of the day by caravans, merchants, farmers, soldiers, and all other kinds of travelers. It was difficult enough to find the path during the day. The man always took an oil lamp with him so that he could be easily seen in the dark and so that he could easily see and ward off the dangers in the woods, thick as they were with carnivorous beasts.
One night, every traveler upon which he happened had wandered around on their own in the thicket so long that they had exhausted the oil in their lamps. The man, kind as he was, gave them of his oil reserves every time he was asked. The night wore on. More travelers depended on his stores, such that when it came time to go home, he had run out of oil. The next morning, the highwayman who worked days found his fellow torn apart by wolves and wedged into some bushes. He had been unable to find his way when the situation became dire because of his outreach to others. When you run out of oil in your lamp because you gave it away to others, how will you find your way in the dark?
There are dangers everywhere. Trust, but verify. If you don't look out for yourself, you won't be there to look out for anyone else either.
Identity theft is very easy and very common. Theives started actually stealing identities of young children because they know those people won't come of age and pay attention until they're done with High School. By then, they may have ruined your good name without you having done a thing. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
My sister and I talk about this all the time. We have kept the obvious information about us on Facebook and elsewhere to an absolute minimum. Nothing is foolproof. Avoid information by which they can find out basic information and steal your identity. Thieves need your sex, your name, and your birthday, and that's it. If you have your High School class and a bunch of pictures in which you're tagged and you get birthday greetings all over the place and use your real name, your friends are actually helping someone steal your identity. They don't mean to hurt you; it's just part of "social networking".
People on there don't really network in the classical sense. They play games, befriend complete strangers, and just post asinine banalities or updates. Some of these are dangerous like "Out of town for a few days". Why would you tell everyone that? That's like taping a sign to the door that says, "Rob my house while I'm gone". I am on there to connect with people I haven't seen in years, but I don't let anyone who is anyone know about everything. Facebook, for example, allows you to mask your profile so that people only see what you wish them to see. Or at least it used to...
You can't get your good name back without a lot of money and a lot of time. God knows how hard I have tried to right unfounded allegations over the years, and there are people who are convinced I am sure that I am evil or did them wrong. They have never contacted me to arrange a rational and reasonable means by which to make it right. It's easier just to bellyache and bombast your enemies than to actually work things out, especially if you're not really willing to admit you did anything wrong.
Protect yourself. Nobody, not in government, online, or even in your family cares about your well-being as much as you do. If you don't look out for yourself, who will?
Years ago in a faraway land, there was a highwayman. His job every night required him to trudge into the forest to a dark clearing and guide travelers to the right road. This road was heavily traveled at all hours of the day by caravans, merchants, farmers, soldiers, and all other kinds of travelers. It was difficult enough to find the path during the day. The man always took an oil lamp with him so that he could be easily seen in the dark and so that he could easily see and ward off the dangers in the woods, thick as they were with carnivorous beasts.
One night, every traveler upon which he happened had wandered around on their own in the thicket so long that they had exhausted the oil in their lamps. The man, kind as he was, gave them of his oil reserves every time he was asked. The night wore on. More travelers depended on his stores, such that when it came time to go home, he had run out of oil. The next morning, the highwayman who worked days found his fellow torn apart by wolves and wedged into some bushes. He had been unable to find his way when the situation became dire because of his outreach to others. When you run out of oil in your lamp because you gave it away to others, how will you find your way in the dark?
There are dangers everywhere. Trust, but verify. If you don't look out for yourself, you won't be there to look out for anyone else either.
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