This is my rant on Internet Security. And I don't mean Malware or Viruses, but I mean the whole "OMG! Someone in a foreign country knows where you live!!" And "Chatrooms are teh EVIL!!" Yes, I'm here to do a rant on people protecting their privacy on the internet - What you can say, and when you've gone too far.
I was inspired to write this when I told what city I live in to someone on Nations States. How do my parents react? "Don't say anything that could spoil who you are." Er... So, he knows that I live in the city I live in. GREAT. What's the big deal?
For my rant, I'm going to define three things: Underprotection, Logical Protection, and Overprotection.
First, Underprotection. Underprotected people have NO idea how to handle being in contact with people from around the world. They are quick to think and will post personal information without considering it first. Basically, underprotected people haven't been taught by their parents anything about handling sensitive information - so, to them, it doesn't matter if someone knows everything about them.
An underprotected person would react in an IRC channel like this if they are every asked to meet on some dusty sidestreet:
Then, in two days time, it turns out he/she was the victim of a crime that took place on 123 Fake Street.
Now: Overprotected people.
Overprotection. Mainly, I will discuss the people overprotecting their kids, rather than the overprotected people.
Overprotective people will sometimes even not allow their children on IRC, or Internet forums. Is this fear really necessary?
No. While people of 20 years ago first thought things like IRC were dangerous, now they are expanding to be a larger part of our world. Example: I couldn't have survived Cybernations without my alliance's IRC channel. If I was banned from using IRC, how would I have ever taken the IRC alliance interview? Not to mention other stuff Cybernations and Nationstates use IRC for. Forums can be set up by anyone so that any group of people can get together and discuss whatever - It is not only used by child predators.
My ultimate theory is that this "Oh noes - someone knows your city!" Fear was back when the world wasn't connected by technology - when it was considered a luxury to talk to someone across the World. Back when it would be odd for someone from Scandinavia to what city someone from India lived in. Now? People post Youtube Videos with their addresses in them. Anyone can see people making themselves look like idiots on the World Wide Web. Heck, when you're filling out your blogger profile you can choose to say what city you're from. This is normal. GET WITH THE PROGRAM. Hey, why should I invite any friends over to my house? Then they'll learn my address and tell it to their parents who'll tell it to their friend who *Could* be a child predator. Oh, they don't even need to come over - It's in the ADDRESS BOOK. Burn the address books!
*Note that the last few lines were done sarcastically.
Anyway, Logical protection is the balance between these two. Don't meet people at sidestreets at night, (no duh) but don't be a closed up person who won't say anything about themselves either - will anyone like you if you're like that?
So, the choice is yours. You can stay in your little safety bubble world where address books are banned, or you can venture out and explore the vast world of the 21st century.
Anyway, that sums up my rant on Internet Security.
I'm sure Yeah568 will have about a million more reasons supporting my argument. So, I'll leave that to the comments section. Enjoy the show!
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