Identity Theft/ Online Stalking

Through all of our discussions of internet identity, we haven’t really discussed the issues if identity theft and cyber stalking. After researching these subjects I realized that they are very real and very dangerous. I learned that there are many different versions of theft and stalking online such as false posting on message boards, AIM/AOL harassment, threatening emails, fake websites, and so forth. I realized how serious these issues can be when I visited a web site called www.toxicpink.net. This web site tells the very real stories of people who have been stalked on the internet and had their identities stolen. The web site gave me some cautions to think about when blogging. It suggested that you get a LiveJournal account to ensure your privacy. It also suggested keeping your hotmail account active, knowing your online friends, realizing that emails can be deceptive, and not giving out last names. Until I got on this web site, I had never heard the actual story of someone whose identity has been stolen. I had never realized how serious and hurtful it could actually be. Not only does it affect the person whose identity is stolen, but it also affects that person’s family and friends. What’s really scary to me is that this web site gives the actual names of certain identity thieves and online stalkers, yet they are still out there and have not been caught. They are still very active in their pursuits to ruin peoples’ lives. I think that everyone who is going to be involved in blogging should visit this web site so they can prevent the same thing from happening to themselves.