Career News 24/7: The Cynical Girl: Maintaining Safety and Privacy on the Internet

Friday, March 22, 2013

The Cynical Girl: Maintaining Safety and Privacy on the Internet

Maintaining Safety and Privacy on the Internet

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 03:45 AM PDT

Private Eyes I am a blogger who earns a living by monetizing her public persona. People always ask me, “Do you feel safe?”

I do feel safe. I am surrounded by people who love me. I am strong. And I am a reluctant supporter of second amendment rights.

Who would dare mess with a petite, blonde, frumpy woman like me?

(Answer: Psychopaths.)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. The Internet is dangerous.

If someone isn’t watching you through your webcam, they are constantly refreshing your Twitter feed to spy on you.

So how can you keep yourself safe in a crazy world where people wanna fetishize you, rape you and kill you?

Travel in a group. Dingoes travel in packs and eat babies because there is safety in numbers. (Safety for them. Not the babies.)
Don’t talk about the things that really matter. I am not inauthentic or fake; however, I am selective about what I share online. I don’t want my deepest dreams and biggest fears used against me.
Don’t identify your location until you are gone. I used to check in on Foursquare upon arrival so the police could find my body if anything happened. Now I like to check in on Foursquare and Facebook when I am leaving. It is still fun but now I can’t be stalked as easily.
Use a fake name when traveling. I check into hotels and put a block on my phone. The front desk is always happy to help. People can’t call my room unless they have my secret name: Mrs. Liberman.

You and I both know the safest way to maintain safety and privacy on the internet is to stay off the internet. That means no shopping. No social networking sites. No websites where you have to enter a username and password. But where’s the fun in that?

You are more likely to be killed in a car accident — or be killed by your husband — than be hurt by a mentally ill stranger who is watching you. Don’t sweat the small stuff, but don’t take unnecessary chances in life. It’s not worth it.