Is that internet stalking is VERY easy. I'm sure most of the people on the "inter-webs" have Facebook accounts, and if not, you know what it is unless you've lived as an eremite for the last 5 years.
It's not only Facebook though. With a phone number, you can basically find out all there i to know about a person. You can find basically every ounce of information this person has ever used on this magical platform of hopes and shattered dreams. Now, I'm no tech-geek/freak, but I could still dig up a lot of information on any given person.
Today there are so many databases accessible to anyone who has an internet connection. Phone numbers, names, addresses, birth dates, relatives an family trees, hobbies, photos, and what music we listen to.
I'm not saying this is all bad, I mean how else would you know what to get your second cousins great aunt as a Christmas present? But do we really have the need for all of this; that's the question.
In my work at a call-center there comes a time when you accidentally miss out on taking, let's say, their e-mail address. Even without asking the client anything, I can see their caller ID, and punch in these numbers in our own database, and see every order they've made for years. With this information I then get their name. With their name I can easily find their address. And of course their Facebook if they have one. Linked to this is often an accessible e-mail address, and if not that some people link their workplace info, and that website usually has a website, and sometimes if the person is important enough their work-email is ready to find.
Scary? Reality. I would never dream of abusing this, but there sure are people who would.
In an age when "cat-fishing" becomes more and more common and insecure people take to the internet to create fake identities, we need to be careful what we put out there. This is of even greater concern as a younger audience than ever before is entering the world-wide-web. Countless 12 year old's have iPhones, iPads and laptops, and they haven't realized just how small the world is. It might feel huge, but with the developments in connectivity and a trait of always being accessible we are closer together than ever.
So my thoughts? Maybe we should stick to sending birthday gift cards to our far-off relatives, and let go of our need-to-know-everything-despair. Yours truly,
ETBlogsHome 2013-07-11
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