These days when one orders online the seller seems to have all your information already available. It is very convenient not to have to type in your whole name and email address etc. when signing a petition or ordering useless junk from Amazon.
When the nice computer asks if I want to save all my information I always say yes. Of course the thought of a strange computer having access to all my private information makes privacy a thing of the past.
When the nice computer asks if I want to save all my information I always say yes. Of course the thought of a strange computer having access to all my private information makes privacy a thing of the past.
Once upon a time, not really that long ago, I ordered a CD from an online vendor, CDUniverse.com. About a month later they got hacked, and all the stored credit card numbers were stolen. I had to change my bank card number quickly.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, a bit longer ago, "60 Minutes" did a special on George Orwell for new years, 1984. They ran a print out of all the information they could find on his life on various computer networks--the stack of paper was 6 feet high. That was nearly 30 years ago, before online shopping, etc.
Once upon a time, about 5 years ago, I used my bank card at a Sonic drive through--the girl took forever to run the card, had to go back to use a different card machine, never did give me a receipt. By the next morning, she had taken $3800 out of my bank account, completely emptying it.
All of this has made me leery of allowing my information online, especially my credit card and banking info. However it is so damn much more convenient to use the "Store my information" features--it's a balance between convenience and security. I know it is safest to use cash for everything, and use those grocery-store checkout line visa gift cards for online purchasing. But I don't. Too much hassle. I've had to come to the realization that my life is boring enough that it doesn't matter too much how many of my purchases can be tracked and targeted by marketers. I use PayPal when I can, so the vendor doesn't have my credit card number. I don't allow vendors to keep my credit card or bank account numbers for future use, but I do let them story my name and address, etc. because it is so damn much more convenient. And I memorize my credit card and bank account numbers, so I can type them quickly.
I guess another formative bit is the old line that the greatest blow to a paranoid's ego is when they realize that they just aren't important enough for everyone to be out to get them. I'm not important enough for the amount of data stored on me online to really impact my life.