Jay Feely wrote:How safe is the internet?
There are adults posing as kids on the internet to lure kids to them- pedophiles, murderers, etc...
Even kids who lure kids.
Driverman wrote:Just to throw this out there... the internet itself is not dangerous, the people who abuse it for the above mentioned reasons are dangerous. The internet is their tool, and like any tool, in the wrong hands, it can be a weapon.
A hammer is not dangerous if used cautiously and correctly, until it is wielded by someone with bad intentions (although I suppose you can bash a thumb on accident).
Driverman wrote:I wasn't trying to discredit anything you were saying before Jason, just clarifying it a little bit more. Putting the blame on the perpetrators rather than just a blanket "the internet is a bad thing" feel. I agree with everything you have all said to this point 100%.
And I don't want to get into a whole thing on guns, which is why I used a hammer for my example. Because the only purpose a gun serves is to shoot something, where the internet serves informational purposes and many others as well. So I was purposely trying to avoid that comparison. But again, I was not discrediting any of you, just agreeing and adding a wrinkle!
AlexUSA wrote:You have enough perverts out there asking children to do bondage and tickle challenges under the guise of games... I watch a lot of challenge videos for the day I am not living with my mom and can try licorice and apple flavored jelly beans simultaneously
But when I see it, I try to warn the kids for their own safety.
SolidSnickerdoodle wrote:As far as internet safety goes, physical safety is at the bottom of my list of concerns. So long as I don't arrange a private meetup with anyone over the internet, give out my real name, or do anything else that could lead to real world consequences I'm pretty much in the clear. I'm more concerned about cyber security (I can barely use that term without sounding like a 90's educational video...) and personal privacy.
As far as security, I feel that common sense goes a long way. I have MalwareBytes installed and will routinely perform full system scans for potential threats. I'm also not going to click on a moving box that says I'm the 999,999th visitor and I've won a free iPad. Don't download from suspicious sources or open ambiguous email attachments from people you don't know. That sort of thing. And for the love of all that is holy, don't send a Nigerian prince your money...
Privacy is really my number one concern. Not because I have anything consequential to hide (except for my interest in bondage), but because I find it deeply concerning how much data mining companies are doing nowadays. A few years ago when RadioShack was first filing for bankruptcy they made a last ditch effort to sustain by selling their customer's personal data off to the highest bidders. This was data that they had collected over years of service. Names, addresses, phone numbers, billing information. And all it took was one written clause in the user agreement that gave them the right to do so.
That's a more obvious example in which data and information is directly volunteered, but I didn't know until recently how much data mining Microsoft does. It wasn't until I saw a news story on Reddit a few months ago (detailing that France was suing Microsoft for its excessive data collecting of Windows 10 users) that I actually went in and checked my privacy settings. The results are quite eye-opening and I would advise everyone that has Windows 10 to go to their privacy settings, read every tab and subsection, and uncheck the box if they're not okay with it (because they all come pre-checked).
This topic sort of took a turn, but this is what I truly worry about when I'm online. Not that a stranger is going to catfish and lure me to their house. Not that I'm going to get scammed. But that everything everyone could ever know about me (including my secrets) is stored away on some server for an unspecified amount of time.
Jay Feely wrote:I hate the chip cards too, if stolen, anyone can slide that into a slot and make purchases without your knowledge.
MisterTheEdge wrote:I even think this website isn't too safe.
Jason Toddman wrote:MisterTheEdge wrote:I even think this website isn't too safe.
We mods and admins do try to keep it as safe as humanly possible, however. Whenever you see anything suspicious, please report it - especially to either xtc or me.