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THE BALD-FACEBOOK LIE: When you Post Information about where you are or what you're doing, Criminals may be Taking Note
In the popular movie, “Home Alone”, two criminals cased neighborhoods and took note of who was preparing to leave home during Christmas. Once they identified a target, it was supposed to be easy-pickings.
Imagine if everyone in that family, which was flying to Europe for the holidays, had a facebook page or other social networking site and had been posting for weeks about their travel plans. Imagine if those same criminals were able to track those conversations and posts in the comfort of their own home.
Maybe the efforts of the burglars still would have been thwarted by the boy inadvertently left home alone but, according to Bill Waggoner, one of the world’s most widely known Internet marketers, and a leading authority on spam cons, we, the freedom-loving people of the United States, don’t really have our eye on the ball when it comes to Internet privacy.
In the era of social networking, people are almost deceived by the sense of privacy they feel when they're alone at their keyboard. Whether willfully ignorant or just plain forgetful, it can be easy to disregard the blinking ethernet cable that is blasting extremely personal information about yourself to an untold number of people.
Criminals are known opportunists and go figure, they've found a way to use social networking to their advantage. There is actually a website called www.pleaserobme.com . You will be amazed at how many people not only voluntarily post there whereabouts but say how long they will be away from home.
Compounding this problem is the fact that in social networking, the way people keep score is by adding to their list of friends and contacts. While this may be understandable, it is also tempting for people to add others to their friends list without knowing much about them, other than they're a friend of a friend of a friend, who quite possibly added them for the same reason.
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE USEFUL IN SHOW PREP:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35466408/ns/technology/_and_science-tech_and_gadgets
ABOUT BILL WAGGONER:
For 15 years, Bill has been the lightning rod for the independent businessman engaged in the world of e-commerce since his fabled appearance before Congress at the 2003 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) CAN-SPAM Act hearings in Washington.
Bill’s appearance at the 2003 FTC hearings that focused the debate on spam, e-mail marketing and the difference between the two, catapulted him into the limelight of e-commerce revolutionaries.
He has been maligned and all but tarred and feathered by all of the major players in the Internet universe, mostly for being the only person who showed up to present an opinion other than that of the industry that runs the Internet.
From on-again/off-again student in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area to humble pizza delivery guy, to the media darling A.K.A. “king of spam,” Bill Waggoner has been blazing a trail of maverick independence throughout his life.
He has been a frequent guest on major talk radio stations and is currently putting the final edits on an audiobook series focused on e-commerce, designed for people who are interested in protecting their investments in e-commerce and keeping the private part of their lives private.
Bill operates an e-commerce marketing consultancy with an industry-leading focus on e-mail communications for both political and commercial interests.
He’s currently working on developing a range of products including a secure browser, cookie management systems, spam filters and other tools for secure commerce and personal communications. He resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For C-SPAN’s coverage of the 2003 Congressional Spam hearings with Bill Waggoner testifying, visit:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/id/117122
(Bill featured in second half of video)
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