I just saw a posting on Facebook. One of my "friends" must be looking to buy a new house so she posted 52 pictures of a house she might buy! There are some comments like, "I hope you get it. I'll keep my fingers crossed. It's so beautiful for your family." Do you know what I wanted to write? "Do the owners know you posted 52 pictures of THEIR house on Facebook?!" Do you know what that says to me? "Hi, we're selling our house and some stranger posted pictures of it without my knowledge or permission. BTW, since you know where I live why don't you come rob me?" I know what you're going to say - what about realtor.com. That even gives you the address of the house. But it bothers me that some stranger can post pictures of my house on line just because she walked through it! Yes, it's a control thing, but while I own the house I should be able to control what happens to it, don't you think?
We read our personal emails out in public on unsecured networks. That means anyone can hack into our accounts and find things out about our lives. Do you have any emails you don't want read? Hhmm...something to think about. And who doesn't bank online or make purchases with their debit card? It's 1984 and a Handmaid's Tale all rolled into one if you ask me.
We can't go backwards and give up the technology we've become so addicted to. How do we protect ourselves? Frankly, I want to wipe out my Facebook site. But is that the answer? I guess the need to develop "street smarts" has spread into the cyberworld too. We have to be careful out there. Know your surroundings. Don't talk to strangers. And when in doubt...run!
Talk to you later...
As someone who has recently had their AOL e-mail address book hacked, I couldn't agree with you more! I hardly use Facebook anymore and frankly couldn't care less that someone is baking cookies, taking their son/daughter/dog to the doctor's/ballet/vet. I think we have lost touch with the fact that we are not just talking to our "friends" when we post things on Facebook or Twitter. I admittedly tweet a lot more than I post on Facebook, but my tweets have nothing to do with where I am, where I'm going or who I'm with.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that as a homeowner you have a right to control what happens to pictures of your home. When we had out house listed countless couples came through, but then we decided to not sell the house and took it off the market. Why would I want pictures of my house and possessions posted for the public to see?
As for on-line banking...I am guilty of that. I pay everything on-line and hardly ever step foot in a bank. That being said, if I do get my information stolen I will have no one to blame but myself. Although, I feel badly for the thief because they are going to be sadly disappointed! :-)