Anonymity and the web

[Conan The Librarian]

Google+ insists on using real names, not handles or nicknames, to use it. In this day of widespread identity theft, organizational abuses of employee/student/soldier/etc web identities, and the permanence of information once it is on the web, and the ability for a burglar to case your property by looking at your house on google maps, it is an interesting turn of events to insist on real names.
 
Do you think you will use your real name in forums like this or other social media contexts?
 
Also, nevermind what you think. This is aimed at younger people, who are already comfortable with freely giving personal info on line.
 
 

[Old Fart]

I think the younger sect is already conditioned with putting it out there.
Look at Facebook, probably 60-70% of the kids have a page by the time they're driving.

[spikehorn]

I use Spikehorn here, when I PM people I will use my first name. If and when I do a deal with someone they learn my last name. I do not and will not use credit cards. Call me old fashioned but I have never had an issue with identity theft.

[Poopers]

I remember when I was in my teen years my mother was always worried about the "crazy" people that could interact with me online.. I would then remind her that these crazy people are real people that exist in the real world we live in everyday. So why worry?

I gave up on anonymity the day my footprints were taken and I was given a SS#

[Spirithawk]

Heck, if anyone wishes to steal my identity they can have my bills to go with it.

[BBF]

I do not use my real name just because I'm "Onery"
 
No tweeting, facebook blogging or networking for this OF. I use one credit card and keep a keen on any transaction.
 
The Missus on the other hand.................

[Sourdough]

I had my ATM card accessed from France.  Totally wipped out my checking and savings account.  The Kids from the North Pole high school went to France on a school trip.  Alaska USA is the dominate financial instatution in town, so most of them had an ATM card for spending money while on the trip.  The Credit Union said one of the kids lost their ATM card.  Someone used that card as a basis to search for numbers that worked.  When they found numbers that worked they charged as much as they could on that account, till it was shut down.  Then they moved on to the next number that worked.

So you can be careful with your card, but someone else can give you away.

Spirithawk:  Sorry, it don't work that way.  Someone steals your identity, you are stuck with what ever expensises they make.  You will be charged with being delinquate on bills you did not even know existed.  Your credit will be gone.  And law suites will be filled against you for billings you did not know about.  You have to pay for an attourney to protect your self.
 

[LONGTOM]

Sourdough:
I had one of my old credit cards hacked from the local electric co a few years back.
They ran up about $2700.00 of charges in 2 days before it was discovered.
All I had to do was go to the bank my card was with and report it and that I did not make any of those charges and all of the fraudulent charges were dropped/cleared from my account.
Didn't cost me a penny.
Of course the card was cancelled and a new card issued.
The banks and card companies are suppose to have insurance for this.
It didn't go against my credit and not one company contacted me about any payments.
Not sure all banks or card companies are like this but mine was.

It's not hard to get all the info you could want on anyone just by doing a search on the internet or by contacting your local DMV.
Heck, they will even sell you a complete list of all the drivers licensed in the state for a price.
Not saying all states do this but I know VA does.
 
 
 
LONGTOM

[saddlebum]

There is no such thing as anonymity on the internet anymore. If there ever was! Yahoo admits that if you choose their new email, they will read your emails to find out things about you, "for advertising purposes", to target you with the ads you would be most interested in.
Oh ya! Internet Explorer 9 does the same thing and is very intrusive. I HATE IT!!
 
One of my emails got hacked and whoever did it used it to send spam to everyone on my contact list. And the spam emails contain a link. It is said that if you click on the links you risk being hacked or getting a virus. High school kids know how to hack emails these days.
 
I have heard too much bad stuff about Google and their privacy issues and connections with the government, ( net neutrality), to ever have anything to do with them.
 
I am also plagued with tracking cookies wherever I go. They know what I'm interested in, (like guns), and where I live. Sometimes the ads have my name in it. The Norton 360 security I have is constantly blocking "attacks" and "intrusions" into my laptop.
 
Forget social networks. I have a facebook account just to check in on my daughter once in a while. But I don't have any information on it at all,...nothing! And I don't post anything on it either and have no friends.
 
Ever hear of girls getting raped because some freak got enough info about her from a social network to find her and rape her? Same thing happens to people who get their house robbed. Never tell anyone your going on vacation on a social networking site.
 
Then there are the phishing, or phoney web pages that look exactly like your banks web page and tell you your account is in trouble to make you nervous and ask for your user ID and password to log onto your account. Then clean you out and then some.
 
I feel like I'm peeing in public and dodging bullets every time I get on this thing!