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Security double standards
Broadband provider Tiscali has launched new figures showing an alarming lack of consistency in consumer attitudes to privacy and their behaviour on social networking sites.
The firm polled 2,505 UK consumers in June and found that 49 per cent include their date of birth on social networking and online information sites, 40 per cent give their email address and 20 per cent job details.
Thirty per cent make their social networking profile public and 13 per cent said they don't know the difference between a public and private profile. Worse still, five per cent of people said they publish their home address and 21 per cent post information about holidays.
And yet two thirds said they thought aerial and streetview pictures of their home present a security risk, while 96 per cent said they thought that publishing of details such as their housemates, mother's maiden name and other details available for anyone to access would put them at risk of identity theft.
There's clearly a massive disconnect between what people do online especially on social networking sites and what they think they are doing. It appears, rather worryingly, that despite the numerous identity theft stories splashed across the front pages, the public is still woefully ill-informed about the level of risk.
July 8, 2009 | Permalink
To be quite honest, this is something I've been planning on addressing on my blog as I have been 'trying' ^^ to get my sp2 to work...while doing this fun endeavor I saw some of the registry 'tracks' and with another program, found things that 'wipes/cleans/erases' program left behind (and these are 'top' cleaners too...). (I was having some computer issues..I give up on sp2 for now until there's a patch -.-)
So I've been searching to 'shore' up my defense, and found out some very interesting things...pretty scary as well. My 'net' provider has us behind a proxy (which I know isn't safe lol) but I ran a check through a site and found...an arial view of where my net provider is (same state) and they could see my area code. Now combine that with the information imbedded in a computer, the information that people 'think' is protected on the computer...it's pretty scary. Heck, even Obama is working on shoring up the defense from a net attack...and people are still being 'blaze'. I have my info secure, thank god, at a company that monitors my status (very reliable company). But god...it's really scary the things you find out. If you could, email me and let me know if it'd be okay to link this article when I do get my article written? (personal blog, btw). Thanks :) And very good post yourself, btw. ^_^
Posted by :Jeania | July 10, 2009 9:34 AM
Yh, no one cares. Whats the point in being secretive about your email address an even your home address? Unless your famous no one is interested in you or your house. Its all bulls**t fear mongering!
Posted by :Jonah | July 13, 2009 1:23 AM