Cover Your Cyber Backside Or The Lawyer Will Claim That Too
by CHICKMELIONfreelance
You are alone from the all eyes. You have stolen a moment to escape those who watch your performance, demand your attention, or test your patience. You are separated even if only temporarily from being someone's spouse, parent, or child. It is just you and the hum of your technology. You are deceived by the silence, thinking all things are private because you are master of your domain and have deemed them to be so. You can step out of your persona, be who you want to be, say what you want to say....be free! Literally consequence free. Oh really?
Maybe it is because the technology is changing the face of how you perceive your world, being so new the required mindset not yet congealed in your consciousness. You forget that you are playing in the real world, the same cruel world you think you are escaping from; only larger, quicker, craftier and ready to dish up it’s own vengeance at the drop of a hat. Yes the universal rule of “what goes around comes around” operates even here among bits, bytes, and circuits.
No this is not TV land my friend, you are not stepping in to a 3D reality game where you make bad choices yet can start over again You will live with the consequences of your actions on this high speed highway, because unseen by you there are invisible binary threads that tie you to your actions, most of which you have no control of. So as the old adage goes there is nothing hidden that does not come to light some day when you least suspect. Usually at it’s worst possible moment.
Nothing posted online is truly private. This is the first rule of thumb. You can take measures in narrowing down the scope of persons that you allow into your private world; like Facebook, Twitter, Tagged, or Myspace. Make sure that you are using strong passwords as well ; ones that are difficult to guess, with challenging security questions. Although many sites provide privacy controls, this privacy can be more than illusionary. Hackers can enter from your friends sites. People with real life vendettas can enter under the disguise of a new friend and carry out the plans they devised against you on their beds, fictional profiles are easy to generate. You will also bump into a con, and yes there will be a “fatal attraction” or tow as well, threatening the calm of your world, adding more headache than you have Tylenol for. Friends themselves may unwittingly pass on information you may not want out in the open. You have no control over who their friends are and have access to, your indiscretions have met the viral nature of the web and you have no control over the content once it is out on the highway.
In all reality the best defence is to avoid demonstrating any reckless behavior on the web. Don’t post anything on a blog, or a social network page, web-site, or e-mail that you wouldn’t want publicly known. Not only because you may not want your laundry aired in the front page of the newspaper or divorce court; but boasting of income, vacations, lifestyle, and assets (whether true or not) is only going to attract unsavory characters to your front door. There are the means available for technology savvy individuals to hone in exactly to your address ... right to your front doorstep. In addition, avoid displaying private issues in public places. Then your co-worker “duking -it-out” for the same promotion has no ammunition. A good practice to do before posting anything is in asking yourself, “what if my boss, spouse, or kids find this”
You have to come to terms with the fact that the internet is rapidly becoming a place where legal evidence is gathered to be used in divorce courts and civil litigation cases regarding cyber bullying. Investigators , attorneys and others are turning to all means necessary to uncover threads of incriminating evidence that can wind up in a courtroom. It is also common now for law enforcement officials and potential employers to turn to sites for valuable information.
Once again it just has to be said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Ultimately the key is to avoid doing things on the internet that you would not normally be doing in the public’s eye. Cover your backside with both hands my dear friend and play safe!
