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Everyone has a right to privacy and I cannot stress that enough. Precaution is sensible in a world that unfortunately has the predator and the prey. Internet fraud and identity theft exists. It happens and it's a reality.
Yet I can’t help but feel that some people’s precautions are taken out of a fear that has not been put into perspective. What are the true motives behind those who choose not show a picture of themselves or their family on their websites or blogs? The internet is a bit like a public place just as a shopping mall is. Do you walk down the shopping mall with your family and put paper bags over your heads so that you can all be 'safely' not recognised by anyone?So what about the internet bullies, harassers, stalkers and those nasty people who prey on the naïve, the innocent, the young and the vulnerable... what about those who will snatch at any opportunity to use your identity for their gain?
It’s a good question but I believe we have to put these things into perspective. Nasty people whilst they exist are not 'everywhere'. Identity fraud, relatively speaking is not that likely to happen to you, especially if you take right kind of precautions. There are means and ways of dealing with internet bullying and harassment without having to close your world to a wider audience. The act of sharing yourself and your life in my eyes is a human virtue which brings great pleasure to everyone including the sharer. We should not deprive ourselves of such virtue.
Due to the rise in internet and identity fraud, banks have made counter moves to increase personal security measures. We are now in an age where most of our trivial personal data is rapidly becoming useless for the internet fraudster. Although there is still much to be improved and there are still some businesses for which you could easily set up an account using somebody else’s identity with a minimal amount of personal information, this should soon become a thing of the past.
On the matter of perverts and paedophiles (English spelling!) again there are simple precautions to take on the kind of images you show on the internet. However it's very sad and we are living in a defeatist world if we can't show innocent photos of our children. How I wish the world didn't have this excessive fear of paedophiles. I was really angry when at my own son's birthday party one year at a swimming pool we hired for the occasion the staff prevented me from taking photos of the kids having fun in the pool. Why should the depraved few spoil it for the decent majority.
How I also hate the media for generating excessive fear for all manner of things! To my mind this media generated 'fear' is a bigger crime to humanity than everyday petty crime!
Maybe I'm too much the idealist, the hoper of a better world to come. But I feel it's not a step forward for humanity to live with over-precaution. I'd rather choose the way of vulnerability and of exposure because I am human and I love humanity, the innocence of childhood, personal freedom and peace. Perhaps once in a while we have to fight to maintain these noble standards. I will also fight to fly the flag of being vulnerable and honest. And to sustain these noble standards we have to accept some risks. If we don't take risks in life we can never move forward.
In Yahoo 360, I enjoy reading blogs about people’s lives, seeing photos of them and of their friends and families, the places where they live and go. It's a fascinating window into other worlds where I cannot always be. And I take a deep pleasure to share mine with others too. I know there are risks.I realise that in the case where an individual has gained a certain high level of popularity or fame then because of that greater exposure to public life you have a higher likelihood to encounter the depraved and mad cranks of this world. Thus protecting against harassment and stalking becomes necessary. There is a price to be paid for being popular but even in those situations I have great respect and admiration for those who dare to allow themselves to be approachable to their fan base.
I see it as a good thing to share with others about our lives that the common good may enjoy, learn from, and value what is shared. To survive in this world it's only natural to take precautions and be on our guard but to make humanity a good thing we have no choice but to take certain risks and fight to maintain and uphold our noble standards and virtues. Qu’ove Revolution ©2007
I couldn't have said it better. I always wondered if I was "doing the right thing" and seem to be a bit of the odd one out in my environment, although my friends and family always enjoy reading what I write.
Perhaps it is my age, but things disappear so quickly from this world today which is probably one of the reasons that I leave something behind in the shape of a blog with a few stories. Most of all I like to read about other countries and other experiences. As far as the education of children is concerned, I am glad that mine are not longer "children". It is difficult today to know what is right or wrong in their education today - but there are too many people who seem to know everything better.
I tend to not post pictures of my kids but then most of my post are poems about life happening to me or my friends. I feel as the kids get older they can choose to post pictures or not.
I do agree that media does tend to make the whole thing worse; but even one is more then enough.
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