A common question in IT circles from end users is: “I am very careful in everything that I do in the computer world. I do not download suspect files, I do not visit suspect sites, I do not share my personal information, yet I still fall victim to various spam messages, telemarketing calls, virus infections, etc. How could that happen?”
Being careful and cautious is good, but that is not the entire equation. Everything you do in the computer world has associated risks of your personal information being compromised. How much risk are you willing to take?
The guy at the circus walking the tight rope is very careful. Does that guarantee that he will not fall. It does not and sometimes he does fall, but he was willing to take that risk. If he wants to completely eliminate the risk of falling, then he stops walking the tight rope.
So even though you feel that you are very careful in the computer area, there is attendant risks in what you do. People know more about what you do than what you may think.
You can be sure that if the government has figured out how to track what you do on the Internet, then private individuals have also figured it out.
Here are some examples:
Do a Google search on my cell phone number: 480-251-8909
You may not find any info about me, but you can see the previous owner of the number, along with their SSN.
Do a search on your home telephone number. Do you see anything that you consider to be private?
Do a Google search on your home address. Pretty scary as to what you might find.