Hey everyone,I just wanted to share my experience in using the internet to look for people whether we know them or not. Today we did a mini scavenger hunt looking for people that we did not know, but nonetheless found out who they are, where they live, occupations, relatives, ages, and the list goes on and on. This activity really did open my eyes as to what we put on the internet. Many people think that the information they put on the web simply vanishes or is “private,” but with the right know how and perseverance, people can ultimately find everything.Some of the websites we used that were great for this kind of research were, Spokeo, Pipl, PeekYou, and InstantCheckmate among many others. For my partner and me, we were assigned to research an individual which we had no previous knowledge of, but at the end of the day, we knew so much about them! It was shocking to be able to find that much information within less than an hour. We found out where she lived, her education and jobs, birthday, age, family members, even her address and phone number. As we researched the individuals, I started thinking about what I had posted in my past that others could possibly see. Thankfully I don’t go around posting anything I’ll regret or that is inappropriate, but either way we tend to get a little paranoid about what people can see on the web.
With my parents being older and not as experienced with technology as most of the newer generations, this type of research would certainly make them hesitant to put anything on the internet. I know this is not just with my parents but I've noticed that older generations feel this way. People are scared to even use Google to look something up, because someone might “hack” or “steal” their identity. On the other hand, the newer generations are most likely more aware of what they are putting up and that others can see their information.
With this being said, if I were a parent or in the near future an educator, I think this topic is one that should be shared with everyone, especially since internet users are younger and younger nowadays. Having the knowledge that people may have access to your information whether it’s an employer, teacher, or even your parents, will certainly make people think twice about what they share on the internet. It is important to know this and be aware of the risks we take while we share information on the computer. So think twice before posting things on the internet, and be knowledgeable of what you put out there.
