This week we are learning about cybersecurity. We were to watch a video about a girl whose identity was stolen through Facebook. She described her childhood and the ordeals she went through regarding her medical condition. She made it through her medical concerns and went on to gain publicity for being able to play volleyball in high school with no depth perception due to losing an eye at a very young age. The media attention is what led to her identity being stolen.
After watching her video we were to answer these questions:
- What are your reactions to her story?
- What did you learn from her story?
- How might you use this story to inform your life or that of others?
I am amazed of Emily’s resilience. She has been fighting her entire life. Even when someone tried to take her identity she fought back and took control of the situation. The first thing I learned from her story is you have to be careful of your online presence. Not only what you post and who you add as a friend, but also checking to make sure there aren’t multiple accounts listed for your name. The second take away is that even if you aren’t posting things yourself there are other ways people can get enough information about you to steal your identity. Emily was on the news and had articles written about her. Her identity was compromised by her publicity, not her actual personal Facebook or other social media accounts. Its a good idea to do random searches to see if your “popping up” more than you should. You can do google searches and even a free credit check will show if something is off. I had my daughter watch this video with me. We talk about online security often because she likes to play games online. I made her aware that there are people who will lie to try to get information or harm her in other ways. She is not allowed to play games that allow online interactive chats and I monitor all her screen time. This video made her realize how vulnerable you can be online.
Jessica Strayer 