Apologies in advance, as I expect to make more than one post on this subject, and it may be a bit overwhelming.
We have had a number of threads covering the subject, but there is nothing
like real life experience to bring home the importance of privacy, and to understand the degree of seriousness of thing that can happen in innocence
or from ignorance.
Let me begin with a real life episode that is in the process of destroying a persons' life.
A member of a large law firm recently received an email from a disgruntled and vindictive male which contained a threat. This person was writing the senior member of the firm to state that he had been having an affair with another "not quite senior" married female member of the firm. She had terminated the affair, and he, was angry. In his letter to the senior member he stated that he was going to send indiscreet pictures to the senior member as well as all of the senior members, and also to the firm's clients.
If and when this happens, the firm will have to terminate the female member, and go to risk management. Doubtless, this will be very expensive for all involved, and in the end, there may be no legal recourse.
The losses could be into the millions.
The initial point to be made here, is that anything that has been placed on the internet, in any form... today or twenty years ago, is, in effect, in the public domain.
The obvious first place to come to mind here, is Facebook, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Subsequently, I hope to outline some risk factors to which all of us are subject. Especially for those (like myself) with lives that are an open book.
For starters, consider the simplest non-stealthy means of obtaining information... ie. just reading the postings of an individual here on ER.
With some time on my hands, and curiosity to satisfy, I took an Avatar... no name or username, and was able to find information that I'm certain that person would never guess to be available in the public domain.
Not being super savvy in detective work, I was able to get down to the individual's bank account, lacking only a password spinner to access.
More to follow.
We have had a number of threads covering the subject, but there is nothing
like real life experience to bring home the importance of privacy, and to understand the degree of seriousness of thing that can happen in innocence
or from ignorance.
Let me begin with a real life episode that is in the process of destroying a persons' life.
A member of a large law firm recently received an email from a disgruntled and vindictive male which contained a threat. This person was writing the senior member of the firm to state that he had been having an affair with another "not quite senior" married female member of the firm. She had terminated the affair, and he, was angry. In his letter to the senior member he stated that he was going to send indiscreet pictures to the senior member as well as all of the senior members, and also to the firm's clients.
If and when this happens, the firm will have to terminate the female member, and go to risk management. Doubtless, this will be very expensive for all involved, and in the end, there may be no legal recourse.
The losses could be into the millions.
The initial point to be made here, is that anything that has been placed on the internet, in any form... today or twenty years ago, is, in effect, in the public domain.
The obvious first place to come to mind here, is Facebook, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Subsequently, I hope to outline some risk factors to which all of us are subject. Especially for those (like myself) with lives that are an open book.
For starters, consider the simplest non-stealthy means of obtaining information... ie. just reading the postings of an individual here on ER.
With some time on my hands, and curiosity to satisfy, I took an Avatar... no name or username, and was able to find information that I'm certain that person would never guess to be available in the public domain.
Not being super savvy in detective work, I was able to get down to the individual's bank account, lacking only a password spinner to access.
More to follow.