Are you still interacting online with a username that hides your identity or are you using your real name? Have you gone so transparent that everyone knows who you are, what you’re doing, and where you are all day, everyday?
Last week’s release of Facebook Places produced a whole new flurry of discussion about social media and Internet privacy. And frankly, I’m confused.
When I first got started online (more than twelve years ago), most people tried to be anonymous and maintain privacy. I think many were like me – fearful of who would be getting our private information and what they’d do with it. While there are still people whose identity is well hidden online, I think many others have gone way too far over to the other side.
Not only are people using their real names and sharing photos of themselves and their families, but now many are using applications that announce their whereabouts to the world.
~Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in a in January, 2010 interview by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.
Personally I don’t want strangers to know whether or not I’m home, at the coffee shop down the street, or cruising the Caribbean. To me, it’s a safety issue. Did you see the site PleaseRobMe.com? The site no longer post tweets that announce users’ locations; now they are trying to raise awareness of potential dangers of announcing when you’re away from home.
Plus, I just don’t understand the need to tell anyone besides my immediate family where I am.
But that’s me.
At the same time many are sharing their every move online, I think most people would say that they highly value privacy and don’t want their private information shared. Perhaps we have a false sense of security because we use privacy settings to determine who can see what we post. Or perhaps we’ve just given in because the “bad guys” seem to be able to get our information no matter how much we try to protect it.
I’m pretty middle of the road when it comes to what I share online. I use my real name, and I post my picture, and I’m sure other information about me is pretty readily available. But I don’t post much about my family, and I don’t share my exact location or announce when I’m going on vacation.
I’m still of the mind that if you post it online, it’s available to the world. If I don’t want the world to know, I keep it to myself.
How important is privacy to you? How much Internet privacy do you want and how much information are you willing to share?
[Image courtesy of Faithful Chant.]
I’m with you Linda. When I first came online keeping your name private was a “big to-do.” In fact, I was so well trained it took me a while to put my name online. I think there is a line between being open and honest and um…careless.
Remember that old saying, “Just because you can, it doesn’t mean you Should!” I try to weigh things out like that. Am I doing this because I can or because I Should? Guess that means I’m a middle of the road sort of girl.
No one online is “anonymous”. We may choose to operate under a psuedonym but that does not render us as being anonymous as we all leave digital footprints online and those who have the skills to do so can track us. Not surprisingly those who do have these skills are growing every day.
I do expect that you know the following but I was amazed to find that many of my online friends were completely unaward of it. When surfing the web if you click an advertisement the web will conceals your identity. But if you click advertisements on social networking sites, and/or if your use third party apps to play games, etc. then your username will not be concealed, and it will be traced to your profiles page(s) on social networks in order to and acquire your personal information.
These days one can be either hired or fired based on what employers find on our Facebook pages and reputation management has become a focus for bloggers. The reality is that much of the web is designed, not so much to share information, as to sell it. It’s also a reality bloggers today, more than ever before, have many demands on their time and social media networking to create an authentic online presence can be a time drain.
Some say there are far too many sophisticated hacks and criminals who know how to manipulate anything Facebook, or any other social networking apps can come up with in the way of protection. Maybe membership is just not worth it. Others say if you don’t want your information shared, don’t post it.
You have said: “I’m still of the mind that if you post it online, it’s available to the world. If I don’t want the world to know, I keep it to myself.”
My answer to your questions at the end of your post are: I am an introvert who does not have anything to hide but who prefers not to share much personal information online. I am keenly aware of the realities of the datamaining that is going on. I am not a Facebook member or a myspaces member or a member of mosy online communities and I’m not likely to ever become one.
Linda, like you I am in the middle. I am a writer and I have an online business so I do use my picture and my first and last name, actually I use my name as much as possible ;[)
I do not share personal family information on business or social sites, I do share some info about myself and my hobbies, etc. The address I use is my business address. I do not share information, family names, whereabouts, etc. I don’t think everyone needs to know that, plus I don’t think the name of a family member is relevant. To say, my brother, sister–is enough.
The thing is I believe that most of the people on business and social sites are decent, however, once you are online the information is not only everywhere, it is there for forever. I am one of the “if you don’t want your information shared, don’t post it.”
Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
Kit, that’s an excellent reminder – always ask “should I?”
Timethief, a good friend of mine taught me that it’s very possible to be personable online without being too personal. That’s my goal.
Vannie, I agree that most people I encounter online are decent. The trouble is that running into someone who isn’t can sometimes have devastating results.
It’s become clear to me that no matter how much information anyone chooses to share, the majority of us want complete control over our own privacy.
Privacy is very important to me, as I don’t want everyone to know everything about me, even if they are my friends. For such people who post online every aspect of their life I can say they have some complexes and like to be in the center of others attention.
the mere fact that a person goes online, he already subjects himself to be in public and it is a given fact that he has to lose a bit of his privacy. privacy is quite difficult to preserve when a person goes online. all you can do is perhaps moderate it and manage the data that you give out esp when it comes to posting photos…