Please tell me that no one who reads this blog is stupid enough to have done this.
I guess now we’ll get a bunch of squealing from LiveJournal types saying, “But it is my private email, just because I made it freely available online doesn’t mean you are allowed to read it…”
Nearly died laughing at that.
WHAT IDIOTS!!!
Well, what can you expect, when everything to do with computers and the Internet is supposed to be so easy that no learning (or thinking, apparently) should be required…
In fact, you really can’t assume that people think about all the ways their information can be insecure, it seems their brains just aren’t wired that way. And if even IT professionals can’t comprehend these things, what hope is there for the rest of the folks?
Example: a part of an e-mail conversation I had a while ago:
(systems expert, to a _large_ distribution:) “Ok, I’ve now finally got an account for the system, so we can start updating things […]”
(me, in BOFH mode, to the same distribution:) “Yes, but since you just shared your account and password at the end of the previous message, that account is now closed again. Have a nice day!”
Oh, I’m quite sure people do find it hard. But what can you do about it? Unlike, say, road safety, it is hard to see governments being able to pass legislation to protect people from their own stupidity. Nor do I buy the argument that because computers are complicated their users have no responsibility for how they use them.
“Nor do I buy the argument that because computers are complicated their users have no responsibility for how they use them.”
Me neither. There is a bigger responsibility if you want to play with complex things, not smaller, I think.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any answer about what to do with those persons who don’t want to learn, as I know a few who are otherwise good people and I wouldn’t want them to learn the hard way. Trying to force information on someone is, of course, totally useless.