What Just Happened?


I came across Kathy's blog, shown in Figure 5-1, one afternoon, by performing a search with three common keywords: blog, vacation, and teenager.

Figure 5-1. Leaking information through blogs


On browsing through her blog, I found that Kathy, a 47-year-old seasoned blogger who'd had a site for over three years, was articulate and well read. Yet, she had unknowingly provided all the information necessary to

  • Run an online phone book search and find her full address and phone number

  • Obtain a satellite photo of her home using free online mapping tools

  • Learn her e-mail address (she posts it in her blog)

  • Know from her writing that she is lonely and grieving over her dead spouse and that she's missing adult company

  • Learn that she has a nine-year-old daughter and a niece living in her home

  • Learn her hobbies and interests, favorite movies and books, and even her weight loss history (she's down to 118 pounds)

It took me four minutes to get information about Kathy, including her address, phone number, workplace, personal history, emotional state, family situation, and weight.

With the information she's provided, Kathy has opened herself up to having her identity stolen, her house broken into, or even potentially being physically abused. A man studying her interests and background could transform himself into her "dream" man by sharing her likes and use that advantage in a variety of ways. He could also use that connection to get to her daughter or niece.

When I contacted Kathy, I started by asking her if she felt she understood the risks of posting information online. She said she did. When I expressed concern over what her blog contents revealed about her, she reacted with disbelief that anybody could locate her through information in her blog.

"How do you think I got your phone number?" I asked. There was a silence on the other end of the phone line. Suddenly Kathy seemed to take my call more seriously.

When she realized the danger she had placed herself and her daughter and niece in, Kathy's reaction was one of anger that her blog host had not advised her about the risks of posting personal information online to the public. Unfortunately, this is all too common. Most blog/social networking companies default users to a "Public" profile, which gives them the best revenue opportunity. It is then up to the user to figure out how to change the settings if they want to limit the number of people they share their space with.

Keep in mind that publicly viewable blogs are great for sharing publicly appropriate information. The trouble begins when you place private information on a publicly viewable site, whether a blog, discussion board, or chat room.

What Is Social Networking?

In the world of computers, networking refers to two computers communicating with each other. Social networking is a term that refers to people communicating with people. Online this occurs in settings that include blogs, chat rooms, discussion boards, instant messaging, and e-mail. Your trusted network is made up of people you know, or whom you trust (for example, the friend of a friend). A casual network is made up of people you don't know and don't yet trust. Unfortunately, in online social networking settings, people often blur the distinction between those they trust and those they shouldn't because they lack physical clues about people and make assumptions about their anonymity online. It's also important to note that one social networking forumblogscan be set up to be either available to the public (the casual network) or kept private (limited to the trusted network).




Look Both Ways. Help Protect Your Family on the Internet
Look Both Ways: Help Protect Your Family on the Internet
ISBN: 0735623473
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 157
Authors: Linda Criddle

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