Stalkers Unite!

[Pekka]

Internet is weird.

When ever you see like a cute girl on TV, maybe a reality show or something, and they manage to hide their identities pretty well, there's still a bunch of people who are skilled enough to figure the identity using the internet.

Then there's bunch of people in some forum or so discussing about 'her perfect ass'. The point is, there's like few dozens of these people in that discussion, and they all found their way in that discussion platform, which was not a trivial task to do.

So they really did work for a while just to find this information. In case someone has some more pics, maybe hidden camera pics of her showering in his own home.

Uuu a good idea is to take some satellite images of her house too, let everyone in the stalking discussion get the same info, find out their former college/HS, e-mail address, where she likes to buy her groceries..

It's really like,.. I admire your detective work, but this is a bit worrying. If you'd be the person, having your own cult following of pervert stalkers, taking photos of you walking down to the store.. that would be uncomfortable.

And what about the stalker master who isnt' posting but lurking and reading the messages? The one who puts on lipstick, pantyhose and goes driving next to the playgrounds looking for someone to kidnap.

So, Internet is weird.

[Lorizael]

How'd you know I go to that website!?!

[SlowwHand]

Let me give you another example.
File sharing. P2P.
Browse someone's files, click Full Path button, traces right back to Miss Luann Degroot's music.
Couple that with a person's willingness to at least give the state (assuming USA) and maybe even city, the person has just opened the door to being stalked.

I make a habit of telling people to change that path.

[Dis]

what path? I'm confused.

oh and: WTF Pekka.

[Pekka]

The path of giving out personal information to strangers for no good reason at all..

Sloww is right, and it's not only the sickos out there.. we know it to be a fact, that there is lots of info gathering going on via chats and all kinds of platforms that has one single aim, and that is to steal your identity. It's really not a joke.

Of course, the odds for it happening to you are slim to none, but still, people who don't need that information usually don't ask that information and even if they do, they don't need to know that, so don't fool yourself and think it as a 'sign of faith'. Give your sign of faith to people you know.

This is also very basic user awareness training for all kinds of professions dealing with secrets and information systems, from the receptionist to managers.. do not give out personal information of yours or, especially, the info of others you work with UNLESS you _know_ the person you are talking to, or there are good means of authenticating the person you are talking.

FOr example 'Hi, this is Mike. I wanted to call you and give me personal thanks to you guys, you really made a difference for me with your service. I never really give feedback but you guys truly saved me and I appreciate it. I'd like to thank your manager as well, what's his name? Ok .. and... when is he coming to work, or does he have a number or something? I want to thank him personally.... OK good.. I'll call him then. Also, I'm writing a letter to your HQ about your good service, can I have the number or some kind of ID of your branch.. ? Thanks'.

Nothing weird about this call, right? Information that is very .. benign. Can't be used to hurt you. And it's not necessarily against the policy at all to give this info.

Next call I'm placing is to the other branch. Now I'm the manager. I can also answer the question to 'What branch are you from?'. If I need to give out other info, I'll just call back to the first place and ask. Now, I am authenticated via phone, and it is unlikely I will be suspected.

Now I'm talking to a 'co-worker', and I'm also pulling rank and authority most likely. Which gives me more info, or the info I'm really after. Like credit card info for example. "Hi... you guys have your computers down? We have... been an hour already. We have one of your customers here, and she wants to ... absolutely now. Can you give her credit card number so I can verify? Thanks... talk to you soon again, thanks, bye.'

etc.

Do not give out info to strangers they don't need. There are methods of authentication, like call backs. As in, OK, let me call you back right now.