ESSAY 3 - THE INTERNET (2) -- Do you ever make personal information available online? If so, how confident are you of its security? Do you take steps to protect your privacy?

Personal information has become something a little more common on the internet.  I myself put a lot of things about my life on my network websites (such as FaceBook, Myspace, Orkut, and Fotolog).  The information I make available on those sites though are not personal enough to endanger my life, or cause me harm in anyway, at least I believe so.  On there people can get to know a little of what I like, my aim, maybe even my mobile number, the city and state I live in, but never things like my address, or social security number, which I hope nobody is stupid enough to make that personal.

            I am very careful with who I let have access to my page.  Even though I am not that innocent to think there are not other ways for people to look at my profile.  But I make sure that the stranger cannot stalk me, use my credit card, or even harm any of my friends.  The internet is a highly dangerous networking to evil.  It could be used for but just as much as for good.  I never get in to those chats, but if I ever did I would probably make up a whole new life.  I would not want some people I do not know, knowing all about me. 

            I am very confident about my security online.  The only thing that sometimes scares me a little is buying thing online.  I just find it hard to believe that there is NO WAY someone can hack in to your bank account, or get your credit card information while you are using it online.  Although it is a risk I on the couple of times I bought things online, and on the many times I logged into my bank account.
            The steps I take to protect my privacy are simple; I do not accept just anyone that I do not know to my profiles.  Strangers that want to add me for no reason at all are no appealing to my privacy protection.  Second when I can go to the bank to do what I have to do, I definitely opt for it.  I do not post online were I am going to be and what I am going to be doing at any time.  Also, keep my job information to myself.  Nobody, but the people I actually talk to and are my friends, need to know were I work.  Specially, no one needs to know my income.

            One thing that I make very personal on the internet is pictures.  I love them and try to put as many as I can.  Especially having so many friends and family I like them to see what is going on in my life.  I also believe that you can tell a lot about a person from their pictures, so I guess it gets a little more personal.  I do try to make them as private as possible though, but now a day there are ways around every private setting online.  I know I am doing my part, and if anything happens to me because of lack of internet privacy, it wont be my fault;  because I cant just stop totally putting things online, and letting people ho are looking at it with the right eye without seeing and keeping in touch just because I think someone might see it. 

            Bottom line is, personal information is available online, in my opinion for everyone.  The real question would be how personal.  How far can you get with that information?  How well can you know me with it?  Personalities are very well expressed online.  Even with fake identification.  The internet is never going to be fully secure.  There is always going to be someone who knows a way around something.  With that in mind, I am never one hundred percent sure about any security online, but it is definitely a risk I want to take.  In my own terms of course!