Adult Content Warning

This community may contain adult content that is not suitable for minors. By closing this dialog box or continuing to navigate this site, you certify that you are 18 years of age and consent to view adult content.

I know that people don't want privacy

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Dcc001, Jan 11, 2010.

  1. Kubla Kahn

    Kubla Kahn
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    710
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    11,278

    You can delete anything on your page that is linked to you. I had a girl post some shit about my wastedness on one of those "who do you think about when?" things I promptly deleted it.

    As for a place like this, I dont have a office setting job yet but Ill probably have to force myself to never surf it at work since I figure any reasonable job would have the ability to track where and how long you surf the web. Don't companies have the ability to do this? Read emails and such on the company's servers? I mean I assume, since I know so little about computers/programming, that there could be hidden programs running on my machine right now sending any possible hacker my info and I wouldn't know shit about it (this goes along with the point about computers being easier to track than phones or paper trails).

    If you don't surf TiB at work and haven't divulged your identity here, how would a company track it?
     
  2. D26

    D26
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    110
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    2,305
    I used to work as a social worker, primarily with high school kids. They are stupid, and apparently don't realize that if you post it on facebook, others can see it. For example:

    Myself
    Your Probation Officer
    Your teachers
    Your principal

    I had kids I worked with that were on probation post pictures of themselves drinking beers, smoking joints, holding knives and guns and posting like badasses while waving gang signs.

    Kids in middle school, high school, and college right now are still in their 'I'm invincible" phase. They still think nothing can touch them, and nothing they do will have consequences. They are told that what they post online can come back to bite them in the ass. I've sat in classes where teachers specifically tell the students that what they post on facebook or myspace can be seen by employers, and that they do look for those things. The warnings are out there, but people are choosing to ignore them. That is their own fault, and eventually they'll face the consequences of their actions.

    My theory on it is this: There are billions of people in the world. I do what I can to protect myself and my identity (i.e. shred and/or burn old bills, pay stubs and paperwork). I watch what I post on my facebook or myspace. I don't have twitter, just because I honestly don't see a point (Facebook status updates are basically the same damn thing). However, I am not going to go all batshit crazy about it, either. I'm not going to get a PO box for everything so 'no one knows my address.' I'm not planning to change credit cards every year so that no one can steal it (I know someone who does this, it is weird). If someone really, really wanted to steal your identity, they could. It is the same basic theory of living: if you have something that someone really, really wants, there is nothing stopping them from simply coming into your home, pointing a gun in your face, and saying "give it to me." Sure, they'll face consequences later, but in the mean time, there is nothing to stop it.

    Think of it this way: every single day, you drive a car. There is absolutely NOTHING stopping another car from swerving into your lane and smashing into you. Sure, there are lines painted on the roads to denote lanes, but that will hardly stop anyone. You can take precautions (wear a seatbelt, have airbags, drive a safer SUV, etc), but it could still happen. This makes driving dangerous. Does that stop anyone from driving their car? If the traffic around my area is any indication, the answer is a resounding "no." Your information is the same basic theory. It is out there, and there is absolutely NOTHING stopping someone from coming in and taking it. You can take precautions (shredding papers, not posting personal information on the internet, etc), but it can still happen.

    Basically, if you live your life on constant fear that the worst is going to happen, you're already fucked. All you can do is try to protect yourself as best you can. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Take responsibility for yourself. Don't post stupid shit on the internet and act all shocked when someone finds it. Its not Jeff Zuckerberg's responsibility to keep you from posting stupid shit on your facebook, it is his responsibility to make money for himself and his company, no matter how douchey that makes him look in the end (and rest assured, I do think he is a huge douche). Your privacy is your responsibility. Think of Jeff Zuckerberg as the guy that owns the road. He paints the lines on there, but that doesn't stop another car from swerving into your lane, as much as his 'privacy settings' stop an employer from hiring some hacker to get into your account. If someone wants that info, if someone is shitfaced and swerves into your lane, there is nothing you can do about it besides be prepared for it and protect yourself the best you can. You can't go blaming the guy who built the highway for your crash, any more than you can blame the guy who built the social networking site where you posted a picture of yourself doing a beer bong that got you fired from your job as an AA counselor.
     
  3. Ryan Leaf

    Ryan Leaf
    Expand Collapse
    Average Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    82

    Exactly. When I have worked professional jobs, I never had anyone on my friend list that worked with me. I'm starting in a big 4 firm soon, and I know that people are going to want to add me on facebook. The solution is simple, create a "work" friend list and restrict what they can see. If you really trust a work friend you can move them to your regular friend list.
     
  4. T W

    T W
    Expand Collapse
    Average Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    53
    People just need to:

    A) Make sure they aren't complete morons and post pictures of them smoking and or trashed (or untag them if it's not them doing the posting) along with anything else that could come back to haunt them.

    B) Delve into the facebook privacy settings a bit. I had already made it so that ONLY friends can see my tagged photos/any of my profile information other than the default picture, name, and network (which can't be changed).

    But one other thing that you should look into if you don't want random "companies" or applications to have access to all of your information is unclick each and every box that applies to what piece of info a friends app can view of yours, in the appropriate privacy setting spot (not hard to find). I only just did this, which means that each and every application that any of my FRIENDS had (yeah not you, your friends too), had access to anything that I had posted/had posted about me on the site. I'm not an idiot and don't post anything detrimental/important on there, so it's largely irrelevant to me, but I unclicked each box on principle.
     
  5. Misanthropic

    Misanthropic
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    410
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    3,234
    Hello, lust4life! Did you know that pork piccata shrinks your penis and makes you impotent? We can supply you with all of the Enzite and Viagra you need at a fraction of the cost those retail chains will charge you! Simply forward this message to 20 of your friends, including a Nigerian prince, and we will send you a free months supply.

    Unless you operate anonymously, like most of us here, don't ever put anything on the net you wouldn't want anyone to see. Very simple. Relying on someone you don't know (e.g., Zuckerberg) to protect you is idiotic.
     
  6. MrPrime

    MrPrime
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2009
    Messages:
    166
    Location:
    Victoria
  7. Diogenes The Cynic

    Diogenes The Cynic
    Expand Collapse
    Village Idiot

    Reputation:
    1
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    37
    This is why I have multiple emails under fake names, and a facebook registered with a fake name. I like to remain incognito.

    I often tag pics of others on facebook as myself so that if anyone wanted to know, they would have dozens of false positives as to who I look like. Am I a Chinese girl? A White septuagenarian? A Black teenager? The interwebs doesn't know, but those who know me know.

    Intentionally putting out lots of fake information about yourself is more useful then a little real info, because few have the resources to sift through and see whats true.
     
  8. mmm.mmm.good

    mmm.mmm.good
    Expand Collapse
    Should still be lurking

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    3
    I don't understand your argument. Is it that your employer has absolutely no business caring about what you do when you aren't physically at the office? If so, then you're way off. Maybe if you work at McDonald's flipping burgers, but in other jobs with serious responsibilities the employer has the responsibility to make sure employees are up to snuff. They have the right to know your criminal records, etc because it reflects you as a person and what you are capable of doing. They drug test employees to make sure they aren't high or going through withdrawal while on the clock. Maybe at the hemp plantation things are a little more liberal, but I don't really get where you're coming from.
     
  9. D26

    D26
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    110
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    2,305
    His point is simple, I think. What a person does or how a person lives when they are not at work shouldn't affect whether or not they get and/or keep a job. A few scenarios:

    An employer got a stack of applications, and one is from someone with a 3.5 GPA in college, has work experience in the field he applied for, and is overall an excellent candidate for the job. Then the employer looks up the person online, and finds a picture on the guy's private facebook of him doing a beer bong at a frat party when he was a junior in college, two years ago. Based on THAT PHOTO, the employer chooses to not hire the applicant.

    How about this scenario for you. You work for a company, and a few work friends ad you to their facebook. You make a mention on your facebook that you are going out to the bar for a few drinks after work Friday night. Monday morning, you're genuinely ill. Not "hung over" ill, but genuinely feverish ill. Your boss doesn't believe you, as it got around that you were 'partying' Friday night, and he fires you.

    Criminal records and drug tests are one thing. Most employers won't hire criminals because they are a liability. Same reason they won't hire druggies. However, if you want to have a few beers over the weekend, you shouldn't have to hide it. If you want to spend Friday and Saturday night getting shitfaced at the bars, it shouldn't matter to your boss one fucking iota, as long as you show up to work Monday morning and do your job. The fact that you partied in college also shouldn't have an affect. Most college students go to parties. Most get shitfaced at some point during their 4 to 5 year college stint. What someone did and who they were when they were 20 or 21 is NOT necessarily who they are and what they are doing when they are 23 or 24 and looking for a job.

    Finally, how about this scenario for you. Two people apply for a job. These two people are essentially equal in their qualifications, so the employer decides to check out the applicants' facebook pages. On one of the facebook pages, the person is 'in a relationship' with another man. This applicant is gay. The employer happens to be a bit of a homophobe, and decides to hire the other applicant based on the first one's sexuality, which is something he would not otherwise know were it not for facebook. This is, of course, HIGHLY discriminatory, but it would be nearly impossible for the applicant to prove that the reason he wasn't hired is because he was gay.

    In this case, it isn't the person posting something 'stupid' like a picture of them doing a keg stand or motorboating a stripper. They are simply secure enough in their sexuality to post that they are in a gay relationship. This is something that should have zero bearing on whether or not a person gets a job, but now it is out there. Is that right?
     
  10. Nettdata

    Nettdata
    Expand Collapse
    Mr. Toast

    Reputation:
    2,863
    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2006
    Messages:
    25,731
    This isn't a black and white situation.

    Many jobs have a different requirement to know what you're doing when you're not at the office.


    One extreme: You're a secret agent for a 3-letter agency. Fucking rights they're going to want to know what you're doing in your "off time", and rightfully so. They won't just go looking for your facebook status, either... they will pay many people to spend many, many hours digging through the closets of your history and talking to people you've long forgotten about.

    The other extreme: You're a day labourer or burger flipper. Who fucking cares. I've seen some show up stoned/high/drunk to work, and it doesn't matter.

    The grey area is in between.

    If you're going to post shit online, and be an idiot about it, then damn straight that me, as an employer, will casually look for it and use it in my decision making process.

    I'm not going to hack sites or waste a bunch of my time trying to dig shit up, but if a casual 30-second google session turns up shit on you, then it's fair game.


    If you put it out there, tough shit. If you're an employee, and friend your boss, and post stupid and incriminating shit, then that's just Darwin In Action.


    Also, I don't get this whole Facebook thing.

    I keep getting a crap-load of friend requests from people I know as a friend of a friend, or know only casually, and I ignore them.

    I've seen a couple of people after the fact that were hurt/pissed that I didn't friend them, and my response is, "well, you're not my friend... you're an acquaintance. I don't want to know what you're doing, and I don't want you to know what I'm doing." What's so hard to understand about that?


    It's like a sex-tape... if you're going to make it, then you run the risks of it getting around.


    It seems like people have forgotten this whole cause and effect thing.
     
  11. Nettdata

    Nettdata
    Expand Collapse
    Mr. Toast

    Reputation:
    2,863
    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2006
    Messages:
    25,731
    I should also mention a few things:

    As an employer, I find that an employee with a "fun" or active social life is a GOOD THING. When I hire people, it's not just about their technical skills, it's about how well they fit in with the group they're going to work with. An active social life can be healthy, and should be encouraged.


    If I do find something online about someone that causes me to question their suitability for a job, then I'll bring it up with them. I've seen too many people get screwed due to online content that wasn't their fault, was falsely attributed to them, etc., to just take it at face value. If the applicant can explain it satisfactorily, then good. If they can't explain it, or say, "yeah, that's me doing those lines of blow off that hooker's tit", then the writing's on the wall. ("Management interviews are down the hall...")
     
  12. Ferris

    Ferris
    Expand Collapse
    Village Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2009
    Messages:
    25
    Location:
    Saskatoon, SK, Canada
    I'm generally ok with facebook and only post things that I'm comfortable with other people seeing. What really irritates me in the privacy issue are the wannabe paparazzi. They are so frequent in college aged people. These girls (yes 95% are girls), will take hundreds of pictures of any given night, post the album, and tag everyone in those pictures, often while those people had no idea they were being photographed. With one of my friend's girlfriend it's getting to the point where I can't even enjoy a beer while playing video games without several pictures being on facebook the next day if she's present. To make matters worse, these people often get offended if you untag yourself. Sometimes I wonder why facebook doesn't have a feature that asks the user for permission to be tagged in pictures.
     
  13. The Village Idiot

    The Village Idiot
    Expand Collapse
    Porn Worthy, Bitches

    Reputation:
    274
    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2009
    Messages:
    3,267
    Location:
    Where angels never dare
    Apparently so ridiculous, you go ahead and use the example of a keg stand, which isn't illegal per se, last time I checked, as a reason to not hire someone.

    What it certainly says is they made a mistake. While I would probably enjoy that black and white world you're living in, this gray one is the current one I'm stuck in. While I certainly don't condone drunk driving, there are many circumstances I can foresee that would not lead me to the conclusion that the person was unable to act responsibly in their job. But I would need to examine the circumstances, assuming of course that the job I was hiring for didn't involve driving.

    You can certainly take the Karmic view that everything affects everything as a justification for not hiring someone because of something in their private life. Let's say someone's a smoker. That shows an inability to control impulses, which could lead to irresponsible behavior. Let's not hire them.

    How about folks that overeat? Let's get them off the hiring list too, because clearly they're irresponsible when it comes to their very own health, how, oh how, could they possibly be trusted with responsibility for other things?

    Drinkers. Toss them, the lot of them. It's not good for you, and if the person drinks to excess, even once, it shows that they are unable to be trusted with responsibility.

    How about people with overweight kids? They are responsible for those kids and have shown a dereliction of their duty to that child. Another group that can't be trusted to do a job.

    Ok, since you say I've 'overshot the mark' would you kindly, in detail, point me to exactly where that aforementioned mark is? And what's on either side of it? I do hate to overshoot marks.

    Or maybe, just like many millions of Americans, they feel that the decision making process they engage in for their personal lives is theirs alone, with only themselves (for the most part) subject to consequences.

    And when they're at work, where their decision making process affects others, they engage in a different sort of analysis.

    Bah, I must be in never never land. No one acts differently with regards to their job than they do in real life!

    Or the internet, for that matter.
     
  14. MoreCowbell

    MoreCowbell
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    14
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    4,185
    You missed the point.

    What the do in their private life is not a concern of mine. I don't give a shit one way or the other whether they are doing keg stands in their free time. What they do in their private life is not the issue here.

    The worrying fact would be that they chose to post the photo (or allow it to be tied to them) in a venue that THEY KNOW is public. They could have not posted the photo, untagged themselves, etc. But they didn't. They put the photo up where it is available to everyone, including prospective employers.

    Things like Facebook are public-facing representations of yourself. If you do not maintain them intelligently, then yes, you can be held responsible for that fact. The failure to do so reflects poorly upon your intelligence, understanding of consequences, etc.

    You chose for your public persona available to hiring managers to be you doing a keg stand? That is really fucking stupid. And you know who often make stupid decisions like that? Stupid, careless people. And hiring stupid people is deleterious to good business.

    The photo doesn't guarentee that they're stupid. But all else being equal, it sure as hell makes it more likely.

    I sorry, but yes, if someone makes stupid choices in one context, that is a sign that they may make stupid decisions in other contexts.



    Notice I said nothing about not doing said keg stand. I said that a smart person would keep it out of the public eye.

    I do lots of things in my private life that frumpy men in suits would probably look down upon. You know what else I do? Try my best to make sure that these things do not prevent me from accomplishing my goals (like, say, attaining and retaining employment). There's no such photos on my Facebook. A Google search of my name will turn up absolutely nothing of interest.
     
  15. The Village Idiot

    The Village Idiot
    Expand Collapse
    Porn Worthy, Bitches

    Reputation:
    274
    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2009
    Messages:
    3,267
    Location:
    Where angels never dare
    One of us did, however, I would submit it remains to be seen which one of us it was.

    So for instance, the gentlemen who posted the following on December 27, 2009, on page 56 of the so-called Christmas Drunk Thread:

    may be making a bad decision as some folks here know where he goes to school:

    and assuming arguendo, they could connect the dots between the two? Would that, under your reasoning, constitute an example of the behavior I have bolded above?
     
  16. MoreCowbell

    MoreCowbell
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    14
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    4,185

    No. There is a world of difference between this venue, and someone's Facebook profile.

    One is a public representation of yourself, open to all the world. Employers regularly look at Facebook profiles. You know this. I know this. We can take it to be public knowledge.

    The other is an anonymous profile on a infrequently trafficked messageboard. Could I be identified from here? Probably. But unless the person knew a fair bit about me (more than almost all of you do. I can think of two exceptions), it would require a lot of Internet sleuthing.

    Moreover, how likely is a prospective hiring manager to make their way here? Very unlikely. How likely are they to check my Facebook profile, at least with a cursory glance? Almost 100%.

    Having that photo in your Facebook profile is akin to taping it on the back of your resume.
     
  17. The Village Idiot

    The Village Idiot
    Expand Collapse
    Porn Worthy, Bitches

    Reputation:
    274
    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2009
    Messages:
    3,267
    Location:
    Where angels never dare
    It is? Really? So if your employer sent a private investigator to view you in your backyard doing a keg stand, that would be ok? Assuming they were in a legal venue to do so.

    Would that be like 'taping it to the back of your resume?'

    Or is your argument basically if an employer can find you by name, without any further digging, then it is fair game? If so, how does this differ from sending a private investigator to watch what you do in public in the example above? And if it's no different, then is it ok in your book if you go out somewhere, get intoxicated, get a cab ride home, and get fired because of your poor decision making (like self admittedly getting intoxicated) on that evening, since it was in public?
     
  18. MoreCowbell

    MoreCowbell
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    14
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    4,185
    I'm starting to think that you are being a contrarian for being a contrarian's sake.

    First of all, I never spoke of whether an employer doing it was 'ok.' I deliberately avoided any moral considerations. I was speaking pragmatically.

    My posts were not about what an employer should be doing. They are about how one should (pragmatically, not morally) act in a world where we know what they are actually doing.

    Are private investigators part of normal hiring and employment? No. So frankly, it would be paranoid to take precautions against this, unless you are applying to a three-letter organization in the government.

    However, a cursory Google or Facebook search IS normal. And will be done. So one should act with this taken into consideration.
     
  19. Nettdata

    Nettdata
    Expand Collapse
    Mr. Toast

    Reputation:
    2,863
    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2006
    Messages:
    25,731
    It's about the complexity of the association.

    There's a greater risk of having someone find shit out about you if you put it on facebook under your (easily searched/found) name, because it's really fucking easy.

    There's WAY less risk of having someone associate you, the real person, with some postings on a random website under a pseudonym.


    I'd hazard to say that it's easier for someone to take the pseudonym and attach it to your real name, based on posts made, etc., than taking your real name and finding out your pseudonym on some unknown website.
     
  20. The Village Idiot

    The Village Idiot
    Expand Collapse
    Porn Worthy, Bitches

    Reputation:
    274
    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2009
    Messages:
    3,267
    Location:
    Where angels never dare
    Hold on there, Don Quixote, don't stop tilting at this windmill just yet.

    You were the one who said I was 'way off the mark' or something of that nature, I merely asked you to point out where and what that particular mark was, in an effort to make sure I don't overshoot it in the future.

    Oh, ok, so you were being pragmatic when you specifically stated that when you were in charge of hiring for a non-fortune 500 company, if you saw someone doing a keg stand on their facebook page you would toss their resume in the trash heap? Even though they may not have been intoxicated? But when you're admittedly intoxicated the real 'poor decision' was the decision to post it on their facebook page as opposed to the underlying act itself?

    So in essence, as with your DUI example (not trustworthy, bad decision maker, etc.) the crux of your objection isn't stupidity per se, it is solely stupidity with regards to how you cover up the untrustworthy behavior? As I said, I'm merely looking for your mark, so to speak.

    So your post about what you would do is just what you would do as far as hiring folks, but not what other employers should do? Ok, got it. Do as you say, not as you would (or have) done.

    So the mere act of hiring someone else to do your dirty work is what makes it over the line? So if I was an employer, and unbeknownst to him, an applicant lived next door and I could see him partying from the comfort of my living room, that would be different than clicking on a web site where he posted his information. As opposed to a phone book, where no one posts their name.

    Which was my point all along. It is done, doesn't mean it should be done, and given that, caution should be used.

    So what again about my initial point 'overshot the mark?'