thanks to the post of our forummate Madhrof that mentioned those "digital fingerprints" that each of us more or less consciously leaves on the internet.
As I wrote there the more time passes the more I'm wondering if I have to close my FB account: even if I have nothing particular to hide in my life (or at least what I've to hide if not on FB ) I have a feeling that something is wrong with all this digital life.
I found out that there is lot of people here with opinions similars to mine than in real life friends.
What I would like to deepen in this thread is Facebook account. So for people who have, had or will never have a Facebook profile I would like to discuss about their opinions.
Someone already replied (Jess, IceQueenAce, madhrof) and hope they will join here.
@IceQueen I would like to know how you came to the decision to shut down your fb account?
BTW: I embed again here the video I posted in the other thread as matter to discuss
Joined: Feb '13
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 2372
Mine was simple, I work with children and we had a child protection course. In it, we discussed how people use facebook to track you and use it against you. (parents/media etc). I put some risky stuff on mine (nights out etc) so mailed my other half and asked for it to be deactivated till I could get home and clear it up a bit.
I never got round to re-activating it
will watch vid later, baby poorly and demanding attention
------------ Mine was simple, I work with children and we had a child protection course. In it, we discussed how people use facebook to track you and use it against you. (parents/media etc). I put some risky stuff on mine (nights out etc) so mailed my other half and asked for it to be deactivated till I could get home and clear it up a bit.
I never got round to re-activating it
will watch vid later, baby poorly and demanding attention
Joined: Aug '07
Location: Malta
Age: 41 (M)
Posts: 8320
There really is no privacy anymore, unfortunately. Close your facebook account, you still leave your trail anywhere else, google, your phone, your credit card, etc.
Best thing to do is to feed "them" the wrong information, overflow of information, so they don't know what is true. Anybody who has seen Burn Notice would know this
Joined: Feb '09
Location: Finland
Age: 33 (M)
Posts: 224
I did that on my moneybookers account, they closed it that i couldn't log in anymore then I had to send every small detail to prove I am the holder of the account, so not sure it was the right move.. Im the end had to give more details then normally
Joined: May '08
Location: Lithuania
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 10090
facebook- had bout 5-6 accounts, never with real data. twitter- had bout 2-3 accounts, never with real data other places (emails, e-wallets, e-shops etc.)- keep private data to a minimum, use it only where it's a must.
my point is this: if you have nothing to be stolen, you don't have to worry about something that can be stolen.
Joined: Nov '09
Location: Canada
Age: 55 (M)
Posts: 2387
Posted by Administrator: There really is no privacy anymore, unfortunately. Close your facebook account, you still leave your trail anywhere else, google, your phone, your credit card, etc.
Best thing to do is to feed "them" the wrong information, overflow of information, so they don't know what is true. Anybody who has seen Burn Notice would know this
I echo the first part of your post Tony, but not the second one. Today's computers with mind boggling storage capacities are allowing the most powerful governments in the world to literally track EVERYTHING. I have never been into conspiracy theories and such but the revelations of Edward Snowden last year confirmed what I had been starting to believe: Big Brother is here and there is less privacy then ever before. So I think that regardless of the accuracy of the information you put out there, or the quantity of it, the data and source are being collected and if necessary it will be traced back to its source.
I think the biggest advantage to keeping your digital fingerprint to a minimum is to prevent being hacked - the more you say "Here I am" the more someone is going to try and hack you. I have also considered not using credit and debit cards anymore and using cash only for the same reason.
Joined: Apr '09
Location: Australia
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 6483
Great topic - I'm just going to put in a short reply now, but may elaborate at another stage when I've got some time..
About six months ago I started a new job, in software development and the company I now work for has a lot of financial institutes as their clients (major banks, superannuation groups, etc) and we work with very sensitive customer data.
So - as part of the hiring process, I not only had to submit to the usual check by the federal police, but I also had to consent to being investigated by a private investigation company, these guys actually trawl through your history - partly just to make sure you've really worked at the places you say you have, have the academic qualifications you claim; basically validate everything on the resume. But they also make sure there isn't some seedy side to your personal life that *won't* show up on a regular police check, some kind of personal history that whilst has never landed you in jail, may still make you an unsuitable candidate for dealing with huge amounts of financial data.
I was quite concerned about my digital footprints - and it really made me think twice about using the same online handle at nearly every site I register to. Poker was certainly a concern - being a known gambler doesn't go well with having access to financial records - people indicted with white-collar crimes; embezzlement, money-laundering, etc - often have a history of gambling addiction.
I've also had quite a history with drug abuse - and not just smoking a bit of pot, but I've had long-time issues with drugs such as crystal meth, heroin and other "class A"substances. I was very worried that some of that would come up in the course of a private investigation into my life.
That said - I keep my facebook and any other social media accounts quite 'clean', on the other hand - in other forums and online communities I'm fairly open with this kind of information.
Obviously I got the job, I've been meaning to actually file a request to see what came up in their investigation, as it's a legal right to request this information. That said, being naturally paranoid I'm more than a little concerned that just the act of requesting this information could look suspicious and have negative connotations for my future employment!
Just recently we've taken on the Australian Taxation Office as a new client and now I have to submit for another background check, although I don't think this one involves any private investigation - just another police check I think.
But, I'd like to get into this topic more, it's really interesting and I talk to my wife on this quite a bit.
Joined: Mar '12
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 1277
Posted by pochui: facebook- had bout 5-6 accounts, never with real data. twitter- had bout 2-3 accounts, never with real data other places (emails, e-wallets, e-shops etc.)- keep private data to a minimum, use it only where it's a must.
my point is this: if you have nothing to be stolen, you don't have to worry about something that can be stolen.
Actually I have to disagree with you on that last point. That is from the same illogical argument as 'If I have nothing to hide then I don't mind being monitored on CCTV or by the Government'.
Everybody has something to be stolen! Especially online where it so easily stolen without anyone knowing it ever happened. Data brokerage firms pay and get huge sums of money for your online behaviours, preferences etc etc. They can sell this to anyone with enough money. you then get targeted for certain products because you've bought them before and it goes on. But ultimately it can also be used for more sinister and devious things as well, should someone chose to do so. You and I are probably not really important enough, but you can imagine that someone of 'importance' could easily be blackmailed or threatened due to some thing they used on the net or bought or wrote years ago.
The digital trail has no expiry date..so in a way deleting FB isn't going to do much in the grand scheme of things, but FB is a fucking waste of time anyway and I don't want that Zuckerburg smarmy little s**t getting ad revenue off my profile.
) I have a feeling that something is wrong with all this digital life.
then I had to send every small detail to prove I am the holder of the account, so not sure it was the right move.. Im the end had to give more details then normally 
