Downloading the latest update for my life firewall.

Following recent developments (Spector vs. Coriander, and a conversation in the FF), I'm interested to read the thoughts of members on privacy - are public records too detailed? Is it terrifying to think you can find out a lot about a single person with a quick Google search? Is the security around an identity not stringent enough? Should it be cranked right up, or even relaxed? What about Myspace, Facebook?

Well? Discuss, and bring to the table any new ideas and questions regarding privacy (online and IRL) and the like, should you have them.

Quick word of warning - one of the parties involved in the Flame Forum conversation is obviously uncomfortable about it, so please don't bring it up. I don't need to explain myself, as those others who took part in the conversation know what I'm talking about.

I think if you don't have anything to hide then obviously you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

There are ways that it can be scary, but guess what, that's the world we live in these days. Everything is available and information is easily shared. Just don't mess with the wrong person because obviously it can come back and explode in your face.

You know, if you wanted right now there is an easy way to look up site address and find out the owner, address, phone, and all of the above for free.

Then you get sites such as Intelius that have you pay a few bucks. Now you've got peoples family records tracking back several years and information about there relatives whom they may not even know.

There is no such thing as privacy anymore, it was exulted long ago.

I think if you don't have anything to hide then obviously you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Not true. People should always worry about their security. No one is safe anymore, in fact, to be as safe as possible, still not entirely, is to never have entered the internet world in the first place. Second is to manage to try and take your information off of a database that stores public records. You are saying if they don't have anything to hide, who says they don't have enemies, who could find out all about them. Then we've got Google Earth, stalker land.

Above all of that, we've got people who will freely give their information out without a second thought. Including pictures, phone numbers, etc.

Screw you public records world!

I don't see what the big deal is about a self-portrait. It's a fucking picture, it doesn't tell your whole life story.

I took classes on this topic, dealing with both information policy creation as well as ethics of information management. It is quite the quagmire to delve into, and seeing that it is 4am, I will not be doing so at the moment.

I may, however, Google myself out of curiosity. Haven't done that in a while.

GLG, You don't need to have ever even entered the internet for all of your information to be found out. I now realize that nothing I do/say will change the fact of what information of mine is already available, so I just embrace it with the nothing-to-hide attitude and go about my ways, I'm really only worried about my identiy being stolen, and even then if it's through my bank they cover up to a certain amount, etc. So i'm not really worried about it.

You didn't read my post correctly I stated that there is NO WAY POSSIBLE to hide you information anymore, I merely suggested that the best way possible to hide yourself is to have never entered the internet world in the first place, that's all.