Recently, a livejournal user by the name of Jason Fortuny posted a deviant personal ad on craigslist with the malicious intent of luring in the personal information of interested men. After recieving hundreds of responses, he then posted their information and pictures for all to see (NSFW).

Indeed, what Jason did was entirely unethical and most likely illegal in the state of Washington. But, he did drive home the point that people are very vulnerable to privacy leaks on craigslist, where fraudulent posters abound. More importantly, he revealed how easy it is to get people to part with their personal information–addresses, full names, and phone numbers. Some of the victims included cheating husbands, religious men, and community leaders. All of their graphic pictures and information are now laid bare.

As the avenues for online publishing and replying get easier, we all have to remember one thing: common sense. Who knows how many craigslist personal postings are legitimate? And, even if they are legit, I wouldn’t even think about sending personal information until the other person had my trust.

I’ve also heard about thieves breaking into houses that had listed valuable items for sale on craigslist. Many times, the postings even revealed when the poster would not be at home. Things like this pretty much hand those high definition TVs over to the thugs.

The botton line is that you should treat the streets of the internet the same as the streets in the real world. With the online explosion of social media and user interaction comes the responsibility of the masses to keep their own identities and information secure.

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Categories - Legal, Privacy |