Socially reclusive


A paranoid on Facebook
I have another piece I'm working on, but I am having a hard time working up a good head of steam. So I thought I would post on something else for a while.

I dipped my toe into social networking, I opened a Facebook account a few days ago. I used one of my "quiet" identities. Hmmm, let me back up a bit.

I've made no secret that I am paranoid. Some days more than others. The name or title I use here, NeoWayland, is probably my main online identity these days, but it's not my only one.

You'll find it easy to search for NeoWayland, he leaves digital footprints all over. However, it's difficult to link that name with my legal name. I've tried very hard to keep my legal name offline.

At the same time, I do watch things on the web. Some of the identities I use to do that are obvious fakes (how many newspapers really have 99 year-old readers who get their news on the web through proxy servers?), some are "dead ends," and some are just "private." I do this because not everyone is willing to talk straight to a libertarian Pagan with his own blog. The "dead ends" and the "privates" (my terms for them) have no links back to me, although the "dead ends" are even harder to track back to me.

"Quiets" do have links to one of my other online identities. They don't actually proclaim "this is who I am," but there are enough threads that a little digging will show it.

Anyway, back to the subject.

On the Facebook site, I was amazed at all the information that the site wanted. Granted, most of it wasn't "mandatory," but even so. It's a social engineering paradise. Fortunately you choose what information to share, and even what information to enter.

The terms of service are a little disturbing too, but these days that's almost to be expected. Still, I won't be adding any personal pictures there.

See, I don't trust the security of most computers.

I can understand the service that Facebook is trying to provide, and I'll even admit that it could be valuable. At least the look up and locate thing, I am not sure about the "wall."

I just question if the tradeoff is worth it. It means exposing your data to some unscrupulous people.

And for the life of me, I don't understand the appeal of constantly monitoring someone's activities.

But then, what do I know? I don't even like cellphones.

I have one, I just don't like them.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Wed - April 15, 2009 at 05:13 PM  Tag


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