12 years ago
News Alert D-Day is Coming and You Will Lose Your Identity!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
freedigitalphotos.net: HackerThe following subheading caught my eye when searching the Internet:
D-DAY is coming for a generation of young fraud victims who post too much personal information about themselves on the Internet. The Adelaide Now subheading made me stop and think about the future for our younger generation who freely give information about themselves online.
After a Parliamentary Inquiry into Cybercrime it was noted that organised criminals are preparing intimate details of young people ready for future use. Queensland police have stated that this information is regularly updated through a third party by cyberstalking their victim, ready to create credit cards in their name for when they turn 18. See also a recent report from Sunrise on 7 (2011) that supports these claims.
A South Australian police officer claims that because young people do not have the life skills, they are unaware of how much information they reveal about themselves online. With statistics as high as 2.7 million children aged five to fourteen, 79% have had Internet access in Australia (Milnes & Viellaris, 2010). This raises concerns about the safety of using the Internet.
Livingstone (2010), a professor in Social Psychology, offers another view to this panic alert of online risks to children. In a keynote speech she talks about her study into online risks and states that there has always been the nature of risks and vulnerability offline and evidence is growing to state that young people who are vulnerable offline are also vulnerable online, however the benefits working online far outweigh not having access to it. It does make an interesting read, however, personally, I feel it is up to parents and educators to forewarn and continue to discuss with young people about the consequences of revealing too much information about themself online.
What do you think the future holds for young people who do this?
References
Livingstone, S. (2010). E-Youth: (future) policy implications: reflections on online risk, harm and vulnerability. Keynote address at e-Youth: balancing between opportunities and risks. UCSIA & MIOS University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Retrieved from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/27849/1/eYouth_(future)_policy_implications_(LSERO_version).pdf
Milnes, M. & Viellaris, R. (2010). Youth Identities an Online Commodity. [Online] Adelaide Now. Retrieved 20/09/11 from http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/attack-of-identity-the-online-thieves/story-e6frea83-1225842543290
Sunrise on 7 (2011, October 5). Child Identity Theft. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/26825601/child-identity-theft/
This is such an interesting topic! I had absolutely no idea that this kind of identity theft was happening. Specifically, how hackers are storing information from young victims to use when they turn 18. It seems long gone are the days of the old Nigerian prince online credit card scandals.
I definitely agree that young people are posting too much personal information online. While I think personal information is far too freely available in general there are also certain applications that really worry me. With the addition of the ‘places’ application on facebook users can let the world know where they are and who they are with at all times. Users can share their home address, friend’s addresses and work addresses and anywhere else they happen to go. Even though what these hackers are doing seems quite difficult and sophisticated, it seems like we are making it very easy to let others take our personal details.
I agree that it should be up to parents and educators to warn young people about the consequences of revealing too much about themselves. As a future teacher librarian I think it would be highly beneficial to students to include information about identity protection in my ICT lessons at school. While teaching students how to use and embrace new technologies in school it is also important to include information about the ‘dark side’ of the net. Issues like identity theft and cyberbullying need to be discussed so students know how to protect themselves.
This is a tricky topic isn’t it – that fraud might be committed in the future against someone who revealed information as a child! I have to agree with your conclusion Kerrie that parents and educators have a key role to play in providing overall supervision and guidance against revealing personal information to the “keyboard”! It seems that eternal vigilance is required to keep up with the ever changing developments in new media accessible to so many – its even accessible in public places (e.g., public library), so being aware of facilities at home and at school is not enough.
I like the way you have included an opposite view in your blog. After all, much of the mass media itself is designed to produce moral panic, as was discussed in our lectures, through its sensationalism. And there seems to me some sense in what the social psychologist is saying in weighing up the risks online and offline to young people – though I think its cold comfort to think they are no more or less vulnerable online. A good reason I think to try and protect them against harm online too! Lets hope the anti-fraud measures now needed can keep up with fraudsters while we do our best to arm our young people against vulnerability! And ourselves too.