Hello ??
Have you ever got the feeling that the whole world is watching you?
I know I have.
Privacy seems to be something we strive for in today’s society, though shouldn’t this be something that comes naturally? For any company to track information about you, all you have to do is load their web page. Crazy. The majority of us use smartphones, search engines and are members of social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – but we must understand that being a part of these pose serious privacy risks. Online hackers tend to gather the majority of their victim’s information through the available info on their social media sites. Who is to blame? Is it our fault for exposing such information online and should we be more careful? Or has social media trampled on our right to be private?
Social media sites utilise mobile apps and their location settings by allowing users to ‘check in’ online. This usually reveals the user’s current location to everyone they’re connected to on their social media account. So not only does the online world know the majority of your personal information, likes, interests etc but they now know where you are. Online thieves usually work through users email accounts. The ‘forgotten my password’ option allows them to easily access the majority of your online accounts and if users are not careful – any information that has been transmitted through social media will be revealed.
Today I will be interviewing a keen social media fanatic to find out how far he believes he is at risk online, how much information he would reveal online and hopefully help him to understand how dangerous the world wide web is.
Before the interview, I conducted some initial research to see how much personal information I could collect through his social media accounts. Here are my results:
Full name: Daniel Sparkes, English, Male
Email: Danny_sparkes@hotmail.co.uk
Age: 20, born on 2rd of May
Employment: Ticket rep for Soundclash festival, works for Decibel UK and Halo Bournemouth
Number: 0777330993
University: Bournemouth University, studying forensic science
Family: Mother: Beverly Sparkes
Pets: Cat, name Freya
Home: Isle of White
These results were collected within 5 minutes of scanning his online Facebook and Instagram account.
Hit play on the video below:
The results were staggering. The interview only begins to pick at the surface of the problem – huge amounts of young adults like Danny have little to no knowledge about online security. Who is to blame? Should we be posting everything onto social media or has social media sabotaged our chances of staying private?
Why do we have to post everything?
It seems as though everyone needs to post every single second of their life on social media. From concerts to marriage proposals to funerals, (seriously I’ve seen funerals on friends Snapchat stories). It was only last year a shooting was recorded on young girls Snapchat.
Take a look below.
Although I hate to admit it, Snapchat is one of my favourite apps. I’ve succumbed to the pressures of my peers and totally utilised the app in all its glory. Cooking dinner? Snap it. Going out? Snap it. Failing exams? Snap it AND go out. Do they really care what I’m doing at 4 am in the morning? Probably not. Social media seems to have taken over teen life and become a virtual diary. Perhaps real life, in the flesh memories aren’t as special when thousands of viewers are judging them through the eyes of their iPhone screens.
Today’s task for ALL readers.
Start February Social Media free and see how long you last. Call it ‘No Web Feb’
#NOWEBFEB
#NOWEBFEB
#NOWEBFEB
#NOWEBFEB
Let me know how it goes!
Lot’s of love, until next time. ??
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