Wednesday, June 8, 2011

4PM Beware what you do online

I know as a general warning, this is pretty obvious, but it appears that certain modern convenience features of social media have an unconsidered cost. If you “check in” on facebook (which is a way of letting friends know where you are so they can meet you), well not everyone who has access to this information is necessarily a real friend. Depending on the privacy and access settings on your profile, strangers might actually be able to find you there. This is called stalking. But more importantly, strangers now know where to NOT find you: at home. And any time a thief knows you’re not at home, he’s that much more likely to view your possessions as a low risk target. In the old days, and perhaps even today, people put light timers on when they go on vacation for precisely this reason. But it’s the same basic problem with social media apps that declare to potentially unsavory people that you aren’t at home. And, just remember, not everyone you “friend” on facebook his enough moral restraint to not misuse such information, even people you actually know. So, what’s the solution? Think before you check in.

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