Protecting your privacy and identity online
Cartoon by Peter Steiner, from page 61 of July 5, 1993 issue of The New Yorker, (Vol.69 (LXIX) no. 20).
At Dandelife, as members we are quite literally putting our lives online. Yet we feel safe doing so. The reason we feel safe putting the details from our past online is that we know the information we are sharing online is nothing we wouldn’t feel safe sharing with friends or strangers who we happen to strike up conversations with offline. That is, the stories we tell here are the same stories we share at the pub with our friends or on the train with perfect strangers. That said, in the spirit of the times, it’s always a good idea to stay informed about how to keep from sharing too much information in earshot of perfect strangers and online in full view of friends, family and fans. I’ve created this helpful guide which you may want to print out as a reminder while you create content not online on Dandelfie but any other site you happen to be lifecasting on.
Four things you should not publish online
Your social security number
In the United States, your social security number is very often used as your primary ID for any number of other important services such as your state driver’s license, banks, utilities, and even memberships to other organizations. My soccer league asks for my Social Security number every year. And every year I refuse to give it to them. Instead I give them a fake number because I know that it is a sensitive topic. You should never, ever give your social security number as a means for identifying who you are to any private institution. Even your bank is prohibited from requiring it as a means of identification. So if you are asked by any site, email or company that is not a governmental institution to state your social security number, refuse and politely ask for an alternative means for identifying yourself.
Your mother’s maiden name
Many institutions also use your mother’s maiden name as a means of verifying your identity. While I think this is a ridiculous method for proving who you are, it is still in widespread use in many password reset forms on many popular websites. Other details like your favorite color, your first pet, your favorite teacher, and even the first street you lived on are now being added as security verification questions Websites. While those may make it more difficult for others to fake in an attempt to steal your identity, they are by no means fool proof. We’ll get to other methods later in this article. In any case, sharing stories about your mother, your favorite color, your first pet and the first street you lived on should not pose a problem so long as the other sites you frequent and the companies who have access to your financial or medical information do not require that information as a means of identifying you.
Your birth place (birth date is OK)
Same reason as above. This is almost as common as your mother’s maiden name. You may include it, but be sure it’s not a security question for any of your online or offline memberships.
Your password
Absolutely under no circumstances give out your password to this site or any other. Keep it along with your bank’s ATM PIN a secret always. All sites should have a password recovery system
Things that are safe to publish (but maybe you thought were not)
Your name
Many of our members choose not to disclose their real name. That’s fine. To some extent not sharing your real name is not a bad way to mask your real identity. Think about how willing you are to tell someone your real name in other circumstances and you’ll know how little you already do to mask your identity behind a pseudonym offline. Many more of us decide to share our real names because we know that one of the best ways to make this site work for you is to share your real name. How else will people find you and make connections?
The peril in using your real name comes in what you decide to publish about others online. If you say something derogatory or untruthful to damage the reputation of another in a published work, you may be held accountable for the damage those words cause. That’s called “libel” which along with “slander” are the two types of “defamation” which is a crime in the United States.
In other words, it’s not necessarily your name that matters but what reputation you are assigning to that name that matters. Please be careful to share content publicly that you would not consider to be untrue or intended to hurt the reputations of others.
Things you should not write about (but you probably will anyway)
Your email address
While this poses no threat to your identity either online of offline, it is in general a not so good idea to publish your email address publicly. Please do not use your email address as your username (either here or anywhere else) since it often becomes a part of your membership details that are publicly viewable. Why? Spam. Pure and simple.
Your sexual escapades
Besides being generally tasteless, your what you do in your bedroom is probably best left completely private. The reason is simple. The feelings of those you share private moments with may be hurt by sharing this information publicly. While it technically may be legal for you to share this information publicly, it’s always nice to be considerate of the people you know.
Your hates
I’m a big fan of the rant. There are times when I’ve been so angry as a customer I’ve gone straight to my blog to post my feelings about how I’d be unfairly treated. That’s a healthy rant and should be aired in public. But rants are different from hates. Who you hate is different than what bothers you - and that should probably left under wraps. If you’re writing things about people you hate remember this old proverb: what you say about others is an indication of your own self-esteem. No one wants to hear it. And at the end of the day, it might get you in trouble once the gossip gets around.
Last words
The Golden Rule
Do unto others as you wish they would do unto you. Or, rather, share stories about others that you wish they would share about you. Otherwise, zip it!
Links and further reading
Privacy through identity control. An article originally published in December of 2002. A prescient account on how to “own” your identity by writing about yourself.
COPPA - Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. One of the reasons why we do not let children under the age of 14 register for membership on this site.
Tools for privacy protection. Downloads that will help you browse sites anonymously, chat over encrypted connections, use personal firewalls, keep clean email addresses.
Symantec online transaction security. We’re not endorsing this product, but letting you know it’s there if you want to pay for it.
Wikipedia: Online Identity theft
Wikipedia: Online reputation management
Wikipedia: Identity management
Social Security Administration’s identity theft guide
Better Business Bureau’s identity theft guide
Open ID: Dandelife’s preferred ID Mangement Service
