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Privacy - like eating and breathing - is one of life's basic requirements. ~ Katherine Neville
The very first journal I ever received appealed to me on many different levels. The pages begged to be filled and the lock and key provided a measure of safety and security. When beginning a workshop and in the first chapter of my journal writing workbook, I start with exploring how to keep your journal personal and protected so that you write only for yourself. I ask others to explore times in their life when their trust has been violated and what they do now because of it.
I found out this week my g-mail account has been “hacked” as a mass e-mail went out to others that I didn’t send. I honestly don’t use that account for my everyday e-mails but keep it for my blog. I’ve changed the password and hope that corrects any issues but I’m honestly not computer savvy.
However, the feeling of someone having my password (which how does that happen anyway?!), having the ability to send spam or a virus or respond as me has left me sick to my stomach. The idea that someone could look at my personal e-mails or cause damage to others in my name reminded me of those times in my life when I have felt vulnerable.
I know it may sound like an oxymoron ~ the idea that a blogger needs privacy, after all we put ourselves out there, right? But we choose what is posted and I cherish my quiet moments, my solitude and those thoughts that I keep to myself. During those rare moments that I reveal my “dirty laundry”, it is only when I think that by doing so I can help someone else. When I realized that someone had my password, the first thing I did was check my blog to make sure there wasn’t a new post not authored by me. I know this wasn’t someone known to me, and am wondering if there is some computer program that someone downloaded that just finds various e-mail addresses with various combinations until it gets it right (I’m probably sounding quite ignorant at this point) and I can’t imagine what the purpose is or why anyone would create a program like that.
Consider what privacy means to you and how you protect it. Explore how you consider privacy in your cyber-world too.
A gmail account hacked? Yes, that is disturbing. We put our ideas out there and cherish the controls we have in what we post on the web. You have a pleasant site here.
ReplyDeleteI was just saying to my husband yesterday, 'how can anyone get pleasure out of hacking someone else's acct.?' Apparently there's an app for facebook... a Christmas Tree, for crying out loud... that has a very bad trojan horse virus, which will shut down your computer.
ReplyDeleteThese crazy hacker's can't reveal who they are so it makes me wonder what kind of sick pleasure they're after.
Sorry you were hacked, it really does feel like violation.
Chin up!
totally with you - privacy is our right; I have my yahoo account hacked once and also had to file an identity theft report (oh yes, somebody had my SSN and opened a direct TV account thousands of miles from my hometown) - I know the feeling but thankfully you caught it on time. As for being bloggers: "we choose what is posted" - that is the key, that is the measure... that is our RIGHT.
ReplyDeleteps - thanks a lot for your warm wishes for my husband. He is doing much better!!
Hackers, really, are the scum of the world. We had a credit card get hacked. Luckily, the credit card company caught it and called to ask if we were making the purchases.
ReplyDeleteI believe when hackers take over an email account, they're looking for not only your password, but all the passwords of those who think the email is from a friend so they click whatever trojan link is sent to them. You know that somewhere in the equation is money for the hackers.
That is scary. I had a message from Google about a year ago saying that someone had gotten into my account; I had to change my password. It's a good idea to change it every so often!
ReplyDeleteSorry that happened to you...hope it's rectified soon.
thank you all for stopping by & your encouraging words!
ReplyDeleteUgh I hate this kind of stuff! I try to be careful about adding apps and such but unless you really know computer technology you are still vulnerable. Dawn, you know I write a lot of material about healing from victimization...and do a lot of research as well..recently there's been a lot of public conversation about cyber bullying and such; I see hacking as sort of a cyber bullying on a mass scale. I think it would be a good idea for us all to investigate ways to protect ourselves and share these ideas as we learn them.
ReplyDeleteOh and as far as money being involved, I've heard (but not verified) that a lot of the people who create anti virus programs are the same who create the viruses themselves, kind of cyber extortion!
Crazy world we live in....
Peace,
Jenny