Received A Letter From A Prisoner!
This year is scaring the hell out of me. So much has happened.
Good and bad things. So I can't necessarily call this year a "bad one." But weird.
Today I was caught off guard... A letter... From a Prison in California.
Someone I once Knew
At first, I thought it was a random stranger, But the name sounded familiar. That's when I opened the letter and read it, Realizing it was a guy I Knew in high school. He was just saying "remember me." We did this And that.
Blah blah.
You could tell he is hoping for a response. But I don't think that's necessary. We went our separate ways, And I have no desire to communicate.
But the whole thing is so off-putting,
How did he get my address?
Lately I've been concerned
I hate how I started my business; I hate it. Why the hell did I use my real name? I should have come up with a fake name.
I never realized how important it is to protect your name. Especially if you have a name that's unique.
I know that everyone is pretty much listed online. In those stupid "People finder" databases.
Why is it that so much is allowed to put online where anyone can search you?
It's dangerous!
Not only have I been a bit nervous lately, Because of this whole Prison letter nonsense, I mean I know he's locked up, But he could send some pretty scary people my way (Another reason I'm not replying. )
But I also realize as I do online dating, That these guys I am talking to. That seems harmless. Are also looking me up.
I feel so violated.
I'm looking into ways to protect my privacy.
But what can we do? Pay to have our names removed? That's ridiculous.
I never thought I had to protect my name like my social security number!
Maybe I should change my name.
That would work, right? Sure, I'd be under these stupid websites. But If I kept my name a secret, And use my birth name for everyday use. No one would know that my name is something else. I'd be like this strange person that no one knows exists.
"Wait I live next door to Mrs. Jane Smith? Who is that?"
I thought some girl named Kaylin Lived next door. Maybe Kaylin has some rich grandma or something.
What do you do to protect your privacy?
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Oh man that is scary when something like that happens so out of the blue after so many years. Like why does he remember me now and now know where I live etc etc. I wish you the very best id be a bit paranoid and want some answers from law enforcement.
Privacy is the one thing that so few people care to fight for anymore, maybe we just took it for granted or maybe there are just too many hoops that we cannot bother to care.
I went down the online privacy rabbit hole a few years ago and it is extremely difficult to remain anonymous, when online and to remove your information from a two minute google search.
To be honest, at that time it was too challenging for me and I gave up, but I may revisit this rabbit hole again.
btw I hope your friend/acquaintance is ok, it really sucks to see people in jail and my heart goes out to him.
I've used my name for far too much, but at this point what can I do? I'm not too afraid of any stalker, but that's pretty damn creepy!
In the sci-fi world (which seems not too far from reality), people have implants and their location can be tracked! All these technologies can be used for good and bad. Having a fictitious name on social media can make one look like the stranger (with something to hide). Revealing at least part of your name and real picture that your neigbors and relatives recognize may be a good compromise.
I'm so sorry that you are having this experience. Your old friend in jail might just be lonely. You are bringing up some good points about being careful online.
Best wishes!
True! It's okay :) It just creeped me out a bit.
Ok then. Don't worry and be happy!
Privacy is something many people have lost with the fast growing of information technologies everywhere.
Now everyone is one the net.
Maybe we'll have to understand that this is the new order.
Thanks for sharing.
I'll check out the link when my battery is charged
What is really dangerous is Steemit allows anyone including prisoners to view exactly how much net worth you might have in cryptocurrency. Fortunately you're not crypto-rich yet but you never know when the day will come where Steem will go to $10.
Right? I have mixed feelings on the publicness of our wallets. It's cool to see how much everyone is worth. But in the long term that could get scary.
That is pretty scary to know he got your address, but unless you see suspicious people lurking about your neighbourhood you should be alright.
The same is with online dating, or online in general, you can't always help when your details get out or people find it due to how many sites you might be on and can be searched.
Glad to hear from you again and hope your road trip back home has been great and you are keeping safe! :) :)
True! Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid.
Aww Thank you :) I have been! I've been working on my shirt business and I hope to start writing more. I'm having serious Steemit withdrawls hehe.
It's good to have a little paranoia or be cautious at times.
You're welcome, glad to hear all has been well and you have kept busy! Can't wait to see more posts from you soon hehe. :)
Sorry for this bad experience...but i think if you want to be completely private, never ever use the Internet.
True hahah XD
It is totally scary out there! Especially posting photos of yourself with your name, if someone was ever looking for you they would not have a hard time finding you, or me or anyone else!
I don't think any of us thought about this when we started all this social media stuff. It was so new and cool at the time but now looking back hind sight is 20/20.
I hope the letter was a nice one and he just wanted to say hi, if it wasn't maybe you should tell someone, like the police? Stay safe girl!