@smudges I work for the federal government. When I log onto my laptop each day I’m greeted with a warning:
“You should have no expectation of privacy.”
If you are the tinyest bit observant online you notice ads or get email that just happen to appear for products you’ve recently searched for.
Applied for or received a credit card? You get bombarded with new credit card or loan applications.
How many insurrectionists were arrested through being tracked by their online presence?
Ever have a telemarketer call you and know your name and address? Where’d they get that information?
Ever search your own name online? I have. The results were not 100% accurate, but accurate enough to dispel any illusion of privacy I thought I had. Names, aliases, addresses, phone numbers, relatives, employment history, social media presence, criminal record…readily available for anyone willing to pay for it.
Facebook and Fluther are the least of our worries. There is more than enough personal information about us online that could potentially harm us. Anyone believing they’re protected online is sadly mistaken.
The best protection for us would be to leave no digital footprint anywhere. The chance of that happening is virtually nonexistent. The very least we can do is avoid “putting our feet in our mouths” when using social media.