Public Restrooms and Privacy on the Steem Blockchain - Another Potty Analogy
Have you ever noticed that you can see peoples' feet when you walk into a public restroom?
- Some people have nice shoes. Some people don't.
- Some people wear closed-toed shoes while others were sandals or flip-flops.
- Some people are not wearing shoes (oh, I sure hope that is not true!).
Those six to eight inches of space between the floor and the bottom edge of the stall sure do tell you a lot about a person. You have access to a small, tiny window to a world that someone is trying to hide.
Privacy On The Steem Block Chain
Regardless of whether or not you have shared person data (real name, age, location, etc), the Steem community has a 6-inch window into your life.
Consider all of the information that is not private.
- your name - if you choose to use a variation of your real one
- your location - depending on how made-up your location was or how generic you choose to be
- your followers - I know that a lot of people are not true followers, but in that list, there are people who genuinely care about you
- the people who comment on your posts - this is a more accurate sign of who supports you, hates you, stalks you, or wants to be like you
- the posts you upvote and comment on - now we see who you support and whether your support is manual/automated/or a combination of both
- your balances - money correlates with power - we all know who the power players are, and we know if we are not one of them
- your transfers - your business transactions are open for everyone to evaluate, critique, and praise
- your content - every post shares personal details, new experiences, how we think, and what we dream about
On the Steem blockchain, that 6-inch space is a panoramic window. If someone wants to know about you, they can take a look at your present and they can investigate your Steem past.
The Not So Private Steem Blockchain
I don't want to scare you into leaving the community, BUT I do want to scare you into thinking about the flow of information. What you share directly, what someone shares about you, and how it is shared will be stored on the Steem blockchain.
That means that your best moments of glory and your greatest failures as a human being could be locked into a state of forever-ness for all to see. So make sure that you are careful what you write about yourself and other people.
Final Thoughts
Those six inches are very telling. They share a lot of information. They are a window into a world that is being hidden.
I want to hear from you.
- Do you have any concerns about the information you have shared on the Steem blockchain?
- What steps are you taking to make sure that you protect your personal data?
- On the Steem blockchain, is security a personal issue, a community issue, or a corporate issue?
I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for stopping by!
I have quite a few concerns, realizing that not only are financial transactions, upvotes, account information... all of that is public and easily viewed by anyone, but every word written on Steemit is permanently and irrevocably inscribed on the blockchain. For better or worse, this transparency keeps us honest, but it also could be a danger for us. Some information out there is no different than a listing in the yellowpages, other information should probably be kept more private.
We are probably not as careful as we should be, when it comes to personal information on the blockchain. It takes constant vigilance. If someone wanted to find out a lot about us, it wouldn't be very difficult.
Security is a personal issue and a choice. Anyone can say anything here, it's up to the individuals to choose what they want to be known for all to see.
@ironshield
The balance of privacy and personalization is challenging. We want to be authentic and guarded at the same time.
I agree that security is mostly our personal responsibility (at least in regards to the personal information we shared). I do hope that Steemit.com and other dapps take proper measures to ensure that our login information is kept safe.
1.) Do you have any concerns about the information you have shared on the Steem blockchain? Yeah, especially the transactions I make.
2.) What steps are you taking to make sure that you protect your personal data? I use a VPN.
3.) On the Steem blockchain, is security a personal issue, a community issue, or a corporate issue? In my opinion, it's community and corporate issues.
Cheers,
@pinaynomad
It is smart to use a VPN. I, too, am concerned about my transactions. I have nothing to hide, but it kinda feels like everyone can see my bank account.
Like the 'six inch window' analogy, the amount you earn is out there, what is in the bank is out there, so why write excessively personal information to be out there as well?
Perhaps I was brought up old school, never discuss private matters, religion nor politics at work, so why would you do it on Steemit.
Privacy is personal, each one to their own, if you feel comfortable sharing intimate details of your life online, the aftermath is yours to deal with should it arise.
Nice thought provoking content @sumatranate
Agree. We have the freedom to share what we want to share in regards to personal information. Freedom means that we have the responsibility to deal with the consequences that may arise.
Thanks for your input and adding to the conversation.
nope, I share what I would share anywhere out in the world. I don't lie so this is not a worry. If something bad is going to happen to me from something I have written on Steemit it would have happened anyway.
yes, you have to be careful but I'm not about to live in a bubble either and have learned way too much stuff here that if I wasn't how I am I never would have learned.
It might look like I say a lot but it is never everything.
great post!!
Thanks for stopping by. Staying on the side of truth definitely helps keep things on the up-and-up. When you mentioned "living in a bubble" I was thinking about the balance between privacy and personalization.
Most people err on one side or the other, but fortunately, that is a personal choice. I am still trying to draw the line in the sand. I bet I will re-evaluate many more times along this journey.
I think this is pretty much with all internet activity. If you share something with your Facebook Friends, it can easily get screenshot and sent worldwide. Same with emails. Especially when hacking/phishing activity occurs, nothing is too private.
Great point. This is not just a Steem issue. We need to think about how this applies to other platforms as well.
I really do value my privacy, but on Steemit I definitely choose to bring some information in the public sphere. As of yet, I've not shared anything that I felt bad about afterwards. I do only share certain stuff, not everything ;-)
We all have to know our limits. I know that each person will be willing to share (or not to share) at different levels. Glad to hear that you have no felt bad about something you have shared.
Since I started my online Lyme awareness campaign I have been sharing more info about myself than I thought I would. I was worried in the beginning when I had my photo on the bottom of each one of the articles I wrote for The Mighty. Now I don't really care because writing about my world as a Lymie is helping others, it shows there's a way to enjoy life even when you are dealing with a chronic invisible illness.
Different causes sometimes invoke different levels of interaction. I appreciate your openness and honesty, and I hope that your work can help many people who are dealing with the effects of Lyme disease.
Blessings!
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People pay more attention to their shoes.
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