Are you revealing too much information?

I read an interesting article in the Straits Times today on the amount of personal information that people put on the internet.

Whether it is on blogs, websites, Friendster or MSN etc, some people reveal their names, email addresses, mobile number, age, hobbies, name of school or workplace, weekly schedule, habits, photographs, the area where they stay etc. In a nutshell, almost all their personal and private data.

And since the information is put up on the World Wide Web, any friends, or any strangers, will be able to get hold of the data easily.

By making such personal details readily available, it also meant that if there was someone out there who has an ulterior motive, he can almost stalk you effortlessly.

Scary, isn’t it?

Well, but not everyone who read others’ blogs or websites have a secret, hidden agenda, in fact, I think most people don’t. But you never know which ones are the black sheep, and you never know what they are up to.

I recall a rather frightening incident that took place a few years back, when I received a call on my mobile phone from a male pervert.

I could not remember the actual conversation, but it was obvious that he was a pervert, and I shall spare you the details. But one thing I remembered was, he knew my name and he mentioned seeing me in my junior college’s canteen, which meant he knew which JC I had studied in.

I hung up the phone quickly.

At that time, I had graduated from JC, and was already in university.

It is no big deal for my friends to know which JC I came from, but I do not think a friend would make such a perverted call.

Who is he? How did he know my phone number? How did he know which school I studied at? It was quite terrifying for me then as these questions flooded my mind.

I quickly did a mental check, and realized I had put my contacts and schooling information on the ICQ. I reckoned he got the information from there, and I quickly removed those particulars that day.

As his phone number was a private number, it was not reflected on my caller ID. For the rest of the day, I received a few more calls from a private number, but I did not pick them up.

As I told my family about this, my phone rang again, and this time my sister answered the call. It was him again. My sister demanded to know who he is, and why he was doing that. According to my sister, he did not reveal who he is (obviously he won’t), but he apologized and promised not to do it again. My gallant sister saved the day.

But the whole incident seemed quite suspicious, and I was prepared to lodge a complaint with the police, but he stopped calling and so I let the matter rest.

This is just an instance of how personal details revealed over the internet could possibly be misused and abused.

No doubt the more information we disclose or list on our blogs or websites, the easier it is to connect with friends, long lost friends or even make friends with people who share your interests.

But there are possible dangers lurking in the dark corners.

Make a check today to see if you might be revealing too much.