Playing without Privacy

Are you really serious about maintaining your privacy? Really, seriously, taking all the precautions to protect your identity? It's quite the paradox isn't it?

I want anonymity regarding my financial identity, yet, the fact that I am leaving on a two week vacation is posted in my status on Facebook. I wouldn't put a sign out in front of the house indicating that "I'm not home and won't be for two weeks", yet I post it on Facebook? So, you say "they" don't know where you live? Type your name into any search engine and see what pops up. Not only do "they" know where you live, they know what elementary school you went to and what level you have achieved in "YoVille". Social media is outing us on so many levels.

For the last ten+ years, I have worked as a certified privacy professional. Knowing and understanding the concept and legalities of privacy and the impact on target marketing is what I do for a living. I know that putting certain demographic information about myself in cyberspace will open me up to various, unsolicited, contacts. But, I want to "play" with my friends.

I can designate certain contacts as spam; I can opt out of mail, telemarketing and email contacts, but it doesn't stop the targeted solicitations that pop up on the various websites that I use and follow.

Lately, I've been particularly barraged with advertising relating to "dating" for "older, mature" people. There is the "Meet someone new today" ad that I swear has a photo of my great-niece's husband. Meet Elite Singles! Romance a Millionaire! Dating for Mature Singles can be very difficult! 1,000s of Big and Beautiful Singles in your area! 40+ and Single? Find love this Fall! Mature Singles Only because no one should be alone. Find Love Again!

I have been targeted as "an over 40, mature, big person, who is not in love but wants to be." How do I opt out of that? Why they think I'm "big", I'm not sure. Oh wait a minute, they probably know what size clothing I order online since I probably agreed to the terms and conditions of the retailer which stipulated in fine print that they shared certain information about me to third party vendors. They didn't share my credit card number or address, but did share what size, color and style dress I purchased. They know I'm single because I indicate such on my Facebook profile. And, they know I'm over 40 since I put in my birth year to register. They must know that I am beautiful because I got an ad that said I was "an intelligent beauty with invincible spirit." Target marketing is amazing!

The other catch to online privacy is that while you may be agreeing to share your information, you are often times sharing my information as well. Most Platform notices of access will indicate that you are agreeing to allow them to "pull YOUR profile information, photos, FRIEND'S info and any other contact info." You can thank me later for getting all those emails from the pharmaceuticals companies and debt consolidation companies.

Each morning, when I log on, I take the time to go through my spam folder and opting out from unwanted solicitations; if they don't cease, I send an email indicating I am reporting them to the FTC, FCC and Consumer Affairs. I get a number of phishing emails that I forward on to the bank or credit card company for them to do something about. I delete, unopened, all those emails from the "Minister of Finance" in Nigeria and the "lottery administrators" from the UK.

You are only as safe as the precautions you take. Each morning, after my personal hygiene, I perform "cyber-hygiene". If you don't you could get a virus.