exposed: online, people sometimes lie about themselves
Todd Shriber contacted, what may be considered, random people online soliciting them to hack into his former college and give his GPA a face lift. He gave them all his personal information, including SSN, and some pictures of local squirrels the “hackers” required as “proof”. They, in turn, put the e-mail correspondence online, of course.
Turns out the idiot works as a communications director for a Montana congressman. He was later fired after his extracurricular contractual endeavors were publicized in sites like reddit.
So, two things. Firstly, not everyone who talks shop is an expert… this applies to real life too. Secondly, if people still have not realized that other people are not who they say they are (in real life too!) they deserve this kind of treatment. The more this happens, the more people be careful what they say or write, mostly in consideration of their future. In our world, where everything is recorded and archived, nothing is forgotten. Memory is cheap. Remember this when, in five years’ time, your potential employer asks you about the time you got drunk, busted, and jailed on new years’ eve, as you detailed with pride on your now moldy myspace page. Old-school cool becomes new-school stupid.
Oh, yeah, some fucker stole my bike; the joy of living in Cambridge. Somehow, uncharacteristically to the island, no security cameras covered the scene.
December 25th, 2006 at 12:21 am
Here in Holland, if the media report a criminal prosecution, the surname and face of the defendant are never given: this traditional self-censorship is to protect identities of people who may yet be innocent, and allow later rehabilitation of those who are found guilty.
These days, in cases big enough to make international news, foreign websites give full details, which rather spoils the system.
As for bike theft, it’s such a problem here as to distort international comparisons of theft statistics! Many people have locks worth more than their bike. A standard trick is to keep yours looking rusty (if in doubt, polish up the one next to it in the rack).
Have a great Christmas, Saar!
April 15th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
i hate you