What’s on my mind? Happy birthday to me - not! Hold the gifts and flowers. This is not my birthday. I don’t blab it around on social media to maintain one small shred of privacy in this invasive world.
To a large measure, I’m guilty of breaching my own privacy because - as some of us do - I often post about myself (and now write this blog about myself, frequently promoting its URL).
But here's the nitty. And the gritty. When social media sites want a birthdate, I falsify mine. How many women do you know whose birthday is Jan. 1, 1905? Mine is: MYOB, Google!
So I was recently more than surprised to sign on to yet another social media site to see my actual birthday listed. I immediately changed it to Jan. 1, 1905, but my actual birthdate is stored in some social media vault. I don’t like that.
Among the other things I don’t want known is my cell number. I get twitchy when Facebook repeatedly seeks it for enhanced “security.” If my Facebook account unexpectedly disappears, I’ll miss saying hi to my family and friends, but otherwise won’t worry too much.
My, oh my ... It turns out it’s a good thing I’ve never given Facebook that number. My kids and friends don’t even have it - and nor do I. I look it up whenever I need it - but I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if 10 minutes’ searching pulled it up on the dark web. For better or for worse, our world is highly interconnected.
Last week,I heard that Facebook has been selling those numbers to telemarketers, and that the numbers have also proved a goldmine for hackers. I’m so far out of the loop that I thought this was “news.” Apparently, it’s been happening for years.
Some of you will shrug and not care. Some of you already block unknown numbers. Some of you will grit your teeth and move on. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has promised to do better on the privacy front - something he’s been saying for a very long time.
Is it worth the loss of privacy to post those cute kitten pictures and stories about your granddaughter’s high school graduation? Is it? Is it? Only you can decide.
© Nicole Parton, 2019
