How safe are you #7

-:VB:-

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Imagine, you meet a person for the first time in your life, but this person knows very personal things about you. Your best friend’s name, your tattoos, your love live, your bank account number and yes, even your account balance.

Scary, huh? Must be a magician you may think.
Think twice! Any information you and your friends share about you online can possibly be accessed by others. Worst case, people will be able to get to know your whole life if you’re over-sharing.

This issue is displayed in the clever video “Amazing mind reader reveals his ‘gift’”, published by the Belgium website Safeinternetbanking.be. The video has been created to draw attention to the risks of personal information shared online:

Dutch ‘psychic’ Dave gives free mind readings to several random people in Brussels, Belgium. The people are shocked to find out that Dave is extremely accurate and scared when he shares their banking information. After enough mind reading Dave reveals his secret to his magic.


http://www.safeinternetbanking.be/nl/dave-campagne


Always keep in mind: Only publish information online you’re comfortable with for other people and companies to know. If you’re on Facebook, remember that you’re not only sharing information with your friends, but also with the apps you use and depending on your privacy settings, the information may also be available for further people and businesses. Your personal data can be very sensitive, make sure you are in control.


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[Source: HERE]
 

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How safe are you #6

-:VB:-

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How would feel it would be if someone stole your life, your identity, wiped your existence from the face of this planet?

What if instead your life was given to someone else and there is enough proof that that person is the real you? And that you were the duplicate?

Well, it does sound intriguing and I couldn't agree less with you that it all sounds like a movie. 
As weird as it may sound it is still the truth. I am talking about 'Identity Theft'

'Identity theft' is a common phenomena occuring in the world nowadays. You must have surely heard how some people that they are someone but there is absolutely no proof to show that. They say someone else is living their life, that no one believes them, that they don't exist in this world anymore - they are just nobodies!
Things like this have happened in the past.

Today, with the amount of data available online, I don't think how it could not be possible!

As I had earlier mentioned in my post named as - How safe are you?
All of your information, your entire life is easily available on the internet - right from the open to the personal information, photos, videos, everything!

You may ask: 'Why would someone do this?'
This would be as silly as asking 'Why do people steal?', 'Why do we need money?' or even 'Why did the chicken cross the road?' Isn't it obvious, the main reason is money! [And in the Chickens case - to get to the other side]

If you steal someones identity, what was theirs till yesterday, is now yours! It's really that simple! Then, you could pose as the guy and easily swipe off that guys entire (hardly earned) savings - now that would be very harsh!

Well, it definitely does, but the fact remains that this cannot be denied. You are in a world where data travels even before the blink of an eye.

Have you never wondered how you are talking to your friend on the other side of the planet - that you did not receive his/her email on the phone or via skype and from there a mail is typed and sent, and you receive it the very next moment!

It really is astonishing. Compels you to think that how much the speed of data transmission has advanced. Where 1st world countries are moving at speeds of gigabytes per second and 3rd worlds still move at kilobytes per second, data reaches even at these lower speeds. Government and defense agencies must be using much much higher rates of data transmission.

The point of all this is only to explain how data can travel. How any of your information moves throughout the internet and how quickly a LOT of damage can be done.

In a world of secrecy, espionage, cyber crimes, and internet wars - it is also up to you to play your role not for others but for yourself.

Be safe! Practise safe Internet policies!


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How safe are you #5

-:VB:-

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Today nothing can be done to prevent providing your data, well, mainly because you have already provided it, and also the fact that the internet makes our work all to easy, swift, accurate, and maybe safe upto some level!

My doubt arises only because of the fact we are providing all of our details even if we should not. Why do we do so? Have you ever asked yourself this? Did you look closely?

It's because - in the beginning, you don't fill up any details regarding your profile on any website - but, (and this is the part that pisses me off) - the website continuously prompts you to fill up your profile, it keeps telling you that your profile is incomplete - which it is not!

Why are all your details required?
Why are religion, caste, geo-tagging, thoughts, moods relevant for your profile?
A profile picture and a description about yourself are more than enough!

Don't you think so?

How is it in any manner a matter of concern for the company? Are they working for governments around the world to concise information about each and every individual living across the planet?

We all have heard how cyber warfare is always going on across different countries, sometimes CIA, or the DoD, or NASA, or European Agencies, etc. get stuck for days because some hackers hacked their foolproof systems! I am talking about places with the maximum security protocols and tools. If this can happen, what guarantees our safety?

I do not want to insert fear in your minds or hatred towards these websites, but to simply put forth my point of view. It just may be another candidate for a conspiracy theory!


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How safe are you #4

-:VB:-

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Now, just ask yourself:

'Where does all this data go?'
You are smart enough to now that it is stored at some server on the planet.

But, what you should be asking is - 'Who controls the data?' I have a belief, that such social networks are not run by organisations once they are famous. They are controlled by Governments and their agencies.
Now, what is the thing that Governments of the world strive for? Data but of course!

Imagine getting information about everyone and everything going on this planet, and that too by those people themselves. No need for proof reading as you fill up the correct data by yourself!

You are serving your entire life on a Golden platter! Not because you are compelled to do so, or you are told to, it is because of your own free will.

You do so while thinking 'Now I'm gonna be on a social network, it is so exciting... I'll provide the best details about myself, ask all my friends to join, I'll be famous, We'll stay in touch,...' and what not...

Almost millions are available on facebook, not to forget the ones who deleted their accounts.

In short - besides your DNA sample, everything else is easily available that can make another YOU!
Come to think of it, it is not that difficult to get the DNA also... A strand of hair would do the needful -

IF an evil super-villain were to clone you for his evil deeds! :D

Jokes apart... it is a matter of critical importance that you are doing what the governments of none of the countries on this planet do - Providing the correct information, details, and everything else. In fact it is you who is doing so.

If a countries' government asks you for provide your entire life to them, would you do so? One in their sane sense of mind would never do so! It's because we know that they cannot protect our lives!
But by being a part of these websites and playing by their rules, we are doing so unknowingly.


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How safe are you #3

-:VB:-

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Now that every social and professional data has been acquired, why should your email accounts be spared?

Believe it or not, but they do hold a lot of information even if you don't think so. All those websites that you are a member of, all of those blogs that you follow, all of their passwords... personal pictures and photos that you may have emailed to your friends or received by you, etc. !

What is even scary is the fact that all of our bank account details are available in the email.
All of your secrets - account numbers, transactions, balance, and in some cases, even passwords. This in fact explains how much we are vulnerable.

Here... again! All of your friends data is available.

Many people even use their personal email accounts for work purposes which is like another nail in the coffin.

Some people who watch porn and have subscribed to such websites are most freaked out, as no one wants that data in any others hands.

Social networking, banking, email accounts, credit/debit cards, UID/SSN, all require a great deal of your attention.

Hell! Half of your blood pressure is high because of the delicate nature of the autonomous and hardware-software dependency today.

Machines handle your life. No no no... they CONTROL your life. You are mere puppets! Why puppets you ask? It's because many are addicted to such stuff. The first thing that you do when you on your P.C. or Laptop is to check how many likes you have received, any comments, how many notifications... etc. etc.
It is this addiction that people take advantage of.

Earlier MySpace was the source, then came Orkut, now theres Facebook and Google Plus. Every few years something new emerges from the dark underbelly of the worldwide phenomena called as the Internet. That thing is born out of fun purposes, and ends up being the instrument of mass data acquaintance. Data - both personal and professional... in short... your life!


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How safe are you #2

-:VB:-

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It is easy to deduce that one could gain pretty much information about with whom you share your secrets, what you think about your friends, what are your view about things, how your college and school life was, your mentality, your secrets, your mistakes, your crush, your guilt, your habits, etc. and much much more by simply going through the messages section in your social networking account.

In other words, the hacker knows pretty much everything about you than you or anyone else did about yourself.

Also, you have your family active online, whose details can also be easily accessed as they are in your friends list, giving way to some very personal family photographs that beside your family no one knows.

With whom you chat the most, message the most, who knows the most about you... all these details are also easily identifiable once one gets through to the account.

Then there are those who provide their other sensitive data based on other websites. I'm talking about professional websites like 'linkdin' that hold your resumes - your workplace, it's details and emails, where you have worked as what, your salaries, qualifications, personal details, strengths, weaknesses, abilities, groups, what you follow, etc. etc.

You add them or link them on multiple levels - for eg. liking it on facebook adds to your existing account, details that you wanted to keep separate like - a different email i.d., contact numbers, and profiles for professional reasons.

And guess what! More friends over here - the professional ones, your colleagues of the past, present and future... Unlimited access to their profiles as well just because they are in your friends list.

Now that you are aware that all of your data is being stored, don't be foolish to rush over to your account and deleting stuff... it seriously does not help.

Here's why:-
You know about the photo - tag feature on social networks. Suppose you are aware of all that I mentioned and you don't want to appear in a photo, but there is nothing that you an do about it as they are allowed to tag you and your location, the event and the time. There is nothing you can do about it!

Whoa! You think you can? Are you saying you will go that pic and 'un-tag' yourself? That is lame!

Once the data has been entered, no matter if you delete it... it won't appear, but it will exist in the social networks servers. Even if you have un-tagged yourself, there is proof existing that you were once tagged in those pictures. Not only this, but who tagged you at what time from what location - as well as when you untagged yourself from what location.

Likewise, all those uploads, those comments that you edited or deleted, those likes you disliked, those locations you added or removed, links and videos that you shared etc. are all stored time to time.

Many times when one is spammed - you tend to remove it, block it or report it. While doing so, you are asked for reasons describing your action. So, there it is!

You are saying 'I am removing this post, on so and so date, so and so time, from so and so place for this particular reason'. Again a description of your likes...


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How safe are you #1

-:VB:-

Ah! The modern day! The age where possibilities are endless.

Numerous benefits, easy lives, enormous resources, leisure and pleasure - all can be enjoyed together, and even valued!

Coming straight to the point - I don't know how many of you know this, but many months ago many Facebook users I.D., and passwords were leaked online by some hacker. FB and even Government agencies tried taking down the information but it was too late. It had been downloaded by thousands, and even put to use! Peoples accounts were hacked into - a shock for those who faced this! I was shocked when I saw the data the data that was leaked!

[I did not download or use that data in any manner whatsoever]
Click HERE to see links to this article as well as similar articles.

That makes me question 'How safe are we today?'

Take social networking websites like Facebook, (the not so used) Orkut, Google +, MySpace, etc. for example -
They have all your data, who you are, your friends, your locations, your photos, videos, likes and dislikes, almost EVERYTHING! All that personal data of yours is entirely dependent on a single password.

'Dear Hackers, wanna mess up my life completely? Well, don't worry coz besides my I.P. that you have acquired by hacking into my account - I have also provided my phone number, my home address, my websites, and any other alternative email addresses of mine.'

Now suppose the details were downloaded by some pretty bad guys, they could literally know everything about you. Who you are, where and when you were born, who your friends are, where you live, where they live, what happened in your life and when, your conversations, your messages, where do you frequently go, your likes, hobbies, favourite movies, music and t.v. shows, etc. etc.
Besides this they also gain an idea as to what your mindset and thinking is - by simply going through your timeline or previous posts, and checking your comments and views about certain things.

Another thing to note is... that you are endangering all those people who dwell in your friends list, your emailing list and your contacts. Hacking into your I.D. is enough to get details on any of your friends and access to all of their data as well, just like the entire history that you had. Besides this, you also provide your phone numbers to these websites - so that is silly!


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