In the wake of the latest internet threat in the form of Heartbleed bug the good people at SingleHop, an IT hosting company and services provider asked several bloggers to participate in a philanthropic endeavor to educate people on the importance of online safety and privacy concerns. Blogging and navigating social media keep me active on the internet, and hackers and security breaches lurking in cyberspace can make such activity risky and challenging. How much is safe to share?
Anyone who knows me knows that I wear my heart on my sleeve and that I am open about my life, flaws and all. When I made the decision to start a personal blog almost two years ago, I did so knowing that I would need to find a balance between being genuine and authentic in what I decided to share in the blogosphere and protecting my privacy and my family’s privacy. I would like to think that I have found a healthy balance between what to share and what to keep private, but in today’s high tech world, one never really knows for sure if one’s privacy is truly private, sometimes, until it is too late. That said, there are a number of things that I have chosen not to share on the internet.
Since I am one for the obvious, let’s start with some of the obvious things that I never share on the internet: my social security number, my home address, my home telephone number (yes, I still have a landline), and my cell phone number. While I know that with the few clicks of a button, that it has become relatively simple for anyone, friend or foe, to find out this, and other, information, I am not going to be the one to provide it for them. If anyone contacted me without me being the one to divulge that information to them that would be a definite red flag and make me take notice.
I also do not share explicit details about my sex life or dating life online. It is tough enough to date in the age of modern technology without having a potential suitor worrying about having personal details of our relationship being broadcast all over cyberspace. A literary Taylor Swift, I am not! My private life, as it relates to sex and dating, is just that, private.
My finances, including where I bank, how I invest my money, my salary, my assets, etc. are other pieces of information that I choose not to publicize on the internet. I was raised to not discuss financial matters with others, except for your spouse/significant other and financial advisor. I don’t even like to bank online or pay bills online. My money is my business, no-one else’s, and I try to keep it that way.
With every new gadget, social media site, and technological advance, more questions are raised about internet privacy and safety. It is a virtual minefield out there, and I just do my best to stay out of harm’s way.
That’s another story. . .
Categories: That's Another Story
That's Another Story 
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