Online Stalking Made Easy

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            Leading up to my final blog post for The Go Blue Crew, I figured I needed to go out with a bang. Luckily, I came across the perfect topic at just the right time! It is no secret that our social lives, shopping sprees, academics and just about every other aspect of our lives today take place online. Throughout our internet explorations we leave behind an infinite amount of personal information: names, pictures, friends, hobbies, addresses, phone numbers, credit card information… You name it, and it’s most likely out there on the web. Collectively, society is becoming much more aware of the fact that universities and employers have access to all of this information about us. But it seems that people are forgetting all the other people that have access to this information. Thieves and stalkers are piecing together puzzles of who we are. We often worry about the negative portrayal we may be receiving from our online identities, but maybe the more dangerous portrayal is the accurate one. 

            Websites such as Spokeo.com collect your personal information from various sources and combine it all in one convenient location-- convenient for stalkers and thieves, that is. Type your name into the search on this site and be prepared to see estimates of your age, phone number, home address, family members and even a photo of your front door. When used in the proper manner, I’m sure that this site (and others like it) are extremely helpful. However, these sites are not only used to find out harmless information about others. Some people worry that companies will go as far as to use this information against users, maybe to deny insurance coverage or assign higher interest rates. 

            If anything, this just goes to show that there are literally websites for anything you can imagine. Who would have imagined that they would make a website that takes the time to collect your personal information from every other site you’ve visited throughout your online endeavors. Furthermore, the consequences of sites like these are far greater than you’d anticipate. Not only can these sites be used against their users for monetary purposes, anyone who signs up for the site and pays a small fee can access all of your information. If they look hard enough they will be able to discover all of your personal information, putting your safety in real danger.

            Although there are, of course, many positive impacts of the internet, it is far too often that we forget to consider the dangers that lurk on the web. Great connections are constantly being made through social networking and dating sites, yet dangerous and even deadly ones are being made as well (we all remember the Craigslist Killer). It is hard to decide where to go from here. For one, even if you do decide to cancel all of your social networking accounts and erase yourself completely from the world wide web, your information will most likely never be truly erased. Furthermore, there are always dangers in the world, is it worth it to stay in hiding? I would have to conclude that the internet is generally more helpful than harmful, yet it needs to be managed properly with caution.