Where Everybody Knows Your Name

“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.” Many will remember that song from the 1980’s hit TV show “Cheers.” The program and the sentiments expressed in the theme song were popular well before the Internet. Today, rather than wishing that everyone knows your name, many of us are worried that there is very little about us that isn’t known by just about anyone who cares to find out. Our grocer knows what brand of soup we prefer. Our credit card company knows where we travel on business or pleasure. Our book seller knows we many not be doing climate research when we order “The Tropic of Capricorn.” In short most everything we do every place we travel, every item we purchase and even what we chose to read can now be tracked and in many cases it is.

Some of this lack of privacy is a byproduct of efficient business practices. Stores began to use computers to track inventory so when you came in to get that bottle milk and loaf of bread the shelves would be stocked. Since you were paying with a credit card, they could track your specific buying habits and begin to target you with ads for things that you might like. It wasn’t long before they figured out a way to track your purchases even if you paid by cash. So now many of us carry key rings festooned with little plastic cards with bar codes that we gladly let the check out clerk scan when we shop. The reward is a few cents off the bill or savings on the next gas fill up. The price is your privacy.

As more of us are using Facebook and other social media, the amount of very personal information about us is made readily available. It is easy to get so comfortable with social media exchanges that we might post comments or relate experiences that we would never divulge even to a most trusted friend. A good rule of thumb is never to write a post online that you would not be comfortable reading on the front page of the newspaper.

When you sign up for Facebook or other on line service, you are often invited to create a profile. You may wish to keep that information to a minimum. By entering detailed information like your birth date, hometown, workplace and other personal details you give those who may be looking at this information with other than honorable interest to begin to piece together a good base for identity theft. My advice is to keep the information shared in these profiles very sparse.

Almost daily we are asked for and freely provide small bits of information which may seem insignificant. By using the Internet and powerful computers, all these little bits collected over an extended period of time can result in a very detailed profile. Advertisers or other less honorable enterprises exploit that information… sometimes to your detriment.

In many case the horse has left the barn. There is not much we can do to get our privacy back. We can be more diligent about giving out that phone number or email address every time the clerk might ask. We should also pay close attention as our elected officials try to develop laws to control how this information is used.

If you send me your address, date of birth and mother’s maiden name, I will add you to my newsletter.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.” Many will remember that song from the 1980’s hit TV show “Cheers.” The program and the sentiments expressed in the theme song were popular well before the Internet. Today, rather than wishing that everyone knows your name, many of us are worried that there is very little about us that isn’t known by just about anyone who cares to find out. Our grocer knows what brand of soup we prefer. Our credit card company knows where we travel on business or pleasure. Our book seller knows we many not be doing climate research when we order “The Tropic of Capricorn.” In short most everything we do every place we travel, every item we purchase and even what we chose to read can now be tracked and in many cases it is.

Some of this lack of privacy is a byproduct of efficient business practices. Stores began to use computers to track inventory so when you came in to get that bottle milk and loaf of bread the shelves would be stocked. Since you were paying with a credit card, they could track your specific buying habits and begin to target you with ads for things that you might like. It wasn’t long before they figured out a way to track your purchases even if you paid by cash. So now many of us carry key rings festooned with little plastic cards with bar codes that we gladly let the check out clerk scan when we shop. The reward is a few cents off the bill or savings on the next gas fill up. The price is your privacy.

As more of us are using Facebook and other social media, the amount of very personal information about us is made readily available. It is easy to get so comfortable with social media exchanges that we might post comments or relate experiences that we would never divulge even to a most trusted friend. A good rule of thumb is never to write a post online that you would not be comfortable reading on the front page of the newspaper.

When you sign up for Facebook or other on line service, you are often invited to create a profile. You may wish to keep that information to a minimum. By entering detailed information like your birth date, hometown, workplace and other personal details you give those who may be looking at this information with other than honorable interest to begin to piece together a good base for identity theft. My advice is to keep the information shared in these profiles very sparse.

Almost daily we are asked for and freely provide small bits of information which may seem insignificant. By using the Internet and powerful computers, all these little bits collected over an extended period of time can result in a very detailed profile. Advertisers or other less honorable enterprises exploit that information… sometimes to your detriment.

In many case the horse has left the barn. There is not much we can do to get our privacy back. We can be more diligent about giving out that phone number or email address every time the clerk might ask. We should also pay close attention as our elected officials try to develop laws to control how this information is used.

If you send me your address, date of birth and mother’s maiden name, I will add you to my newsletter.

There is Something "Phishey" Going On

The stories seem to be all the same. The email begins with a sad tale of someone’s father or uncle or second cousin twice removed being persecuted in some third world country. The emailer is desperate to find a kind soul in the US who will help this poor family find a way to transfer their money out of the country. To add credibility to the missive the email is filled with grammatical errors and a copious amount of deferential uses of “sir, madam, kind person, concerned American, etc.” Of course, if you will help them out of their dire straights they will split the booty with you. All you need do is send them your bank account information and they will take care of all the rest of the details.

Even with a very good spam filter on my email accounts I get one or two of these a week. The fact that they are still circulating tells me that some people may still be falling for this scam. A scan of recent newspaper articles indicates that there is no dearth of rascals happy to relive you of your money on line.

I would hope that most of us would see right though the scam described above but there are many other more “creative” miscreants developing a new one each week.

Most recently there have been many “phishing” expeditions. Phishing is a type of on line scam that is designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, banking passwords, account data, or other information. It usually takes the form of an email that looks like an official communication from your bank or other financial institution or even the IRS. Often it is replete with an official logo and other corporate identification graphics. The message usually relates that, “as part of our commitment to your security we are verifying your account information in order to prevent any unauthorized person from getting your information.” The email contains several questions such as your name, address, favorite color, city of birth, Social Security number and bank passwords.

Replying to this email can wipe out your bank account and strip you of your identity in a New York minute. It can’t be repeated enough that no business, bank or department of the Federal government will ever send you an email or call you on the phone asking for this information. If you receive one of these messages, the only thing you should do is delete the message and, if you wish, contact the bank or other institution from which it was allegedly sent. Don’t EVER hit reply!

If you reply to this email and, even more importantly, open an attachment you may be at an even bigger risk. Replying to the email tells the sender that they have reached a “live person.” They now have a good email address and will use it in the future to try new ways of relieving you of your cash. They are very persistent. Opening an attachment is even more dangerous as it can release a small program into your computer innards that can harvest this personal information and transmit it back to the perpetrators. Often they make opening the attachment very attractive by indicating that you have a “free gift” and details are in the attachment. For sure it is a “gift” but most likely not “free

There is Something "Phishey" Going On

The stories seem to be all the same. The email begins with a sad tale of someone’s father or uncle or second cousin twice removed being persecuted in some third world country. The emailer is desperate to find a kind soul in the US who will help this poor family find a way to transfer their money out of the country. To add credibility to the missive the email is filled with grammatical errors and a copious amount of deferential uses of “sir, madam, kind person, concerned American, etc.” Of course, if you will help them out of their dire straights they will split the booty with you. All you need do is send them your bank account information and they will take care of all the rest of the details.

Even with a very good spam filter on my email accounts I get one or two of these a week. The fact that they are still circulating tells me that some people may still be falling for this scam. A scan of recent newspaper articles indicates that there is no dearth of rascals happy to relive you of your money on line.

I would hope that most of us would see right though the scam described above but there are many other more “creative” miscreants developing a new one each week.

Most recently there have been many “phishing” expeditions. Phishing is a type of on line scam that is designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, banking passwords, account data, or other information. It usually takes the form of an email that looks like an official communication from your bank or other financial institution or even the IRS. Often it is replete with an official logo and other corporate identification graphics. The message usually relates that, “as part of our commitment to your security we are verifying your account information in order to prevent any unauthorized person from getting your information.” The email contains several questions such as your name, address, favorite color, city of birth, Social Security number and bank passwords.

Replying to this email can wipe out your bank account and strip you of your identity in a New York minute. It can’t be repeated enough that no business, bank or department of the Federal government will ever send you an email or call you on the phone asking for this information. If you receive one of these messages, the only thing you should do is delete the message and, if you wish, contact the bank or other institution from which it was allegedly sent. Don’t EVER hit reply!

If you reply to this email and, even more importantly, open an attachment you may be at an even bigger risk. Replying to the email tells the sender that they have reached a “live person.” They now have a good email address and will use it in the future to try new ways of relieving you of your cash. They are very persistent. Opening an attachment is even more dangerous as it can release a small program into your computer innards that can harvest this personal information and transmit it back to the perpetrators. Often they make opening the attachment very attractive by indicating that you have a “free gift” and details are in the attachment. For sure it is a “gift” but most likely not “free

On the Internet, everybody knows you're a dog.

In July 1993 the New Yorker Magazine published a cartoon by Peter Steiner showing a dog sitting in front of a computer. The caption read, “On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." Oh the changes that fourteen years can make. Today, not only will they know you are a dog, they will know the color of your spots, the length of you coat and the brand of dog food you like.

Among the myriad benefits of the Internet, personal privacy remains a serious issue that has garnered much attention of late. Most recently Google® has been in the news as it has been ordered by the US courts to hand over data that contains information from every clip ever played on its popular YouTube® video sharing website. It has been reported that the data file, which has more than 12 terabytes of information, contains the IP address and viewers’ ID.

What this means is if you ever watched a video on YouTube®, that video and your identity may be able to be matched. Most likely not a problem if you were watching singing cats and dogs, perhaps problematic if you were just curious if there really was a video on how to make a nuclear bomb.

There are so many examples of how various companies and organizations both real and virtual gather, store and use information about you. Once you make your first purchase on Amazon.com®, the next time you log on you will be greeted with list of suggested books and other items. This list is developed specifically for you based on previous purchases and in some cases even casual browsing. This can be a great asset when you are looking for new books that you may have missed within a category of interest. It can also funny when you are presented with a list of pre-school classics because the last time you were on Amazon.com® you bought a gift for your grandson.

It is not only online that information about you is gathered. The discount cards that are promoted by Kroger and other grocery outlets help the company track your individual buying habits. Each item you purchase can be tracked if you use the bar coded plastic card when you check out. This way the store can target what coupons they may wish to send to you in the mail.

It is no coincidence that if you were recently online looking at convertibles that your US mail box and your email box will all of a sudden have several advertisements for new convertibles from variuous automakers..

So much of our personal information is available. Typing your phone number into the Google® serach box will most often give your address. The Hamilton County Auditor’s website http://www.hamiltoncountyauditor.org/ has information about your home, property taxes, improvements and even contains a recent photograph and block diagram of your house.
There is not much we can do to protect our personal information from being collected if we are going to continue to enjoy the benefits of modern technology. We can however insist that the use of this information is scrutinized by our leaders and that our right to privacy is protected.

On the Internet, everybody knows you're a dog.

In July 1993 the New Yorker Magazine published a cartoon by Peter Steiner showing a dog sitting in front of a computer. The caption read, “On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." Oh the changes that fourteen years can make. Today, not only will they know you are a dog, they will know the color of your spots, the length of you coat and the brand of dog food you like.

Among the myriad benefits of the Internet, personal privacy remains a serious issue that has garnered much attention of late. Most recently Google® has been in the news as it has been ordered by the US courts to hand over data that contains information from every clip ever played on its popular YouTube® video sharing website. It has been reported that the data file, which has more than 12 terabytes of information, contains the IP address and viewers’ ID.

What this means is if you ever watched a video on YouTube®, that video and your identity may be able to be matched. Most likely not a problem if you were watching singing cats and dogs, perhaps problematic if you were just curious if there really was a video on how to make a nuclear bomb.

There are so many examples of how various companies and organizations both real and virtual gather, store and use information about you. Once you make your first purchase on Amazon.com®, the next time you log on you will be greeted with list of suggested books and other items. This list is developed specifically for you based on previous purchases and in some cases even casual browsing. This can be a great asset when you are looking for new books that you may have missed within a category of interest. It can also funny when you are presented with a list of pre-school classics because the last time you were on Amazon.com® you bought a gift for your grandson.

It is not only online that information about you is gathered. The discount cards that are promoted by Kroger and other grocery outlets help the company track your individual buying habits. Each item you purchase can be tracked if you use the bar coded plastic card when you check out. This way the store can target what coupons they may wish to send to you in the mail.

It is no coincidence that if you were recently online looking at convertibles that your US mail box and your email box will all of a sudden have several advertisements for new convertibles from variuous automakers..

So much of our personal information is available. Typing your phone number into the Google® serach box will most often give your address. The Hamilton County Auditor’s website http://www.hamiltoncountyauditor.org/ has information about your home, property taxes, improvements and even contains a recent photograph and block diagram of your house.
There is not much we can do to protect our personal information from being collected if we are going to continue to enjoy the benefits of modern technology. We can however insist that the use of this information is scrutinized by our leaders and that our right to privacy is protected.