“Privacy is dead, and Social Media holds the smoking gun”.
This is a quote and headline for an article written October
28, 2009 by Pete Cashmore, founder and CEO of “Mashable” (a social media blog
site). In the article Pete tells us of a new camera called the “SenseCam”. This
camera was developed by Microsoft Research and retails for $820. The camera is strapped
around your neck and records and image every 30 seconds. Vicon (who bought the licensing rights from
Microsoft Research) intends to develop the camera for research work on Alzheimer’s
and dementia. While research of these diseases is welcome, the original camera
is available to the public for whatever purpose they decide. The dilemma he
points out is even though we recognize the loss of privacy this new camera
presents and the increase exposure to criminal behaviour, do we give up our
privacy anyway because without sharing your life online you risk becoming non-existent
in the virtual world? So much of our lives use social media: socializing,
employment, and self-improvement. Every time a new Application is invented, it
seems to be one more way to loose privacy. If you don’t get on board, you get
left behind and if you get left behind, do you still exist? If no one can “Google”
you, then do you really exist?
Social media does put a gun to your back and tries to shove
you along. The social networking sites Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Pinterest
(the list is long) all want you to join. When I was young, there was a question my mom
would ask (usually looking me right in the eye, slightly bent over and with
hands on hips) “well, if so and so jumped off a bridge, would you jump off a
bridge too?” Since the answer was always
“no”, I’ve grown up following my own path, making my own decisions on what was
right for me. When I get home from work, I am too tired to sit in front of a
computer screen typing when there is a perfectly good TV screen to watch and
comfortable couch from where to watch it. I am that demographic that has little
interest in spending oodles of time chatting with my fingers rather than a face
to face visit that begins with a hug and smile. I know my friends have Facebook
accounts and post pictures and their life story on line. In comparison, I have
e-mail that comes to my blackberry. Quite frankly, I don’t want my social life
on line and I don’t feel like I am worse off for it. In fact, whenever I add an
email address into my contacts, my spam filter gets fatigued. I feel like I’m
in that old shampoo commercial (I think it was “Prell” or “Pert”) where they
say “I tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on and so on….” Perhaps
one day, I will join the web race, but in the meantime; the more details that
are posted the more vulnerable you become. Besides I have “friends” I have
never heard of.
“Pound the pavement” used to be the only way to find a job. In a human resources course I took, “drop off”
applications and “cold calls” are still the number one source companies use to
hire. One reason is that it shows initiative on the part of a person who has
sought out the company for employment. Second, the hiring company doesn’t bear
any recruitment costs. However, LinkedIn
would like you to join their site and network among professionals. Joining and paying professional association
fees is also an in. But regardless of the profession you are in, it is
sometimes “who you know and not what you know that gets you places”. The pressure
is on the get as many people to “know you”. Once again, it means putting details
of your life online to gain access to opportunity.
“Tag you’re it” used to be an expression we yelled as kids
while chasing each other around the yard. Now we are “tagged”. Photos are geo-tagged;
phones have GPS and can be pinpointed by their signals. Any comments, photos
posted in Facebook can be date, time and location stamped. "On Star" tracks your
vehicle in real time. “Fitbit” is a pedometer that tracks your exercise and sleep
patterns which then transmits the data. Even a satellite image of your home can
be accessed on Google maps.
- Be discerning,
- Be careful not to post dates of activities or vacations.
- Be critical of requests for money or verifying account information – notify the institution of suspected fraud
Useful links for privacy protection
Interesting related articles
References
Boggan.
(2010, December 31). Facecrook: As offences linked to social
networking sites increase 7,000%, the terrifying truth about criminals
targeting your home. Retrieved October 17, 2012. From
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340024/Facecrook-As-offences-linked-social-networking-sites-increase-7-000--terrifying-truth-criminals-targeting-home.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340024/Facecrook-As-offences-linked-social-networking-sites-increase-7-000--terrifying-truth-criminals-targeting-home.html
Campbell.
(2012, September 9). Identity Theft Canada: Stolen IDs Used To
Obtain Real Passports, RCMP Report Says. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from
