the internet: the issues
The great thing about 404 is that it's tackling real world problems which are current and contemporary. Here we're discussing some of the most important ones.
identity theft
One of the biggest issues with the Internet is the idea of identity theft. A huge amount of information is available for others to use and manipulate. Frank Abagnale is arguably the most famous conman in our history, inspiring the book and film 'Catch Me If You Can'. He committed his crimes in a time where social networking and the Internet did not exist, he now claims its easier than ever before.
"If you tell me your date of birth and where you're born [on Facebook] I'm 98% [of the way] to stealing your identity," he said. "Never state your date of birth and where you were born [on personal profiles], otherwise you are saying 'come and steal my identity'. Never choose a passport-style photograph as a profile picture, and instead use group photographs"
Guardian article with Frank Abagnale. You can read the full article here. |
Lack of privacy
As Arthur expresses in the film, he gets increasingly annoyed with the fact that what he puts on the web is out of his own hands. This is the case for all the users of the web, we have no control of someone tagging us on Facebook or adding an Instagram picture of us shopping. You can no longer choose what you put online and your privacy is at risk.
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