photo #1517049

We've all seen it. People know better, but they continue to ignore the proper precautions these days to protect life, limb, and property. They "forget" and post about their up and coming vacations and other events that can and have resulted in burglaries. They continue to play the quizzes that tell them what kind of potato they are, not even realizing how much personal information they've surrendered. With the apps that get downloaded, the last one they load will be security if they even believe they need it. When/if they do, they aren't even diligent enough to "clean down" before and after every use. Most apps require you to allow them to collect any/all data they can find on your device. This includes passwords, banking info, and personal data including pictures and photos. When one of your "delightful" friends gets hacked, you get a "special" message with an attachment, which gets your everything if you open it. Repeated "friend" requests can be them, hackers, or cloners. We all know it, but pretend it doesn't exist, and use their dog's name with 123 as a password. Absolutely incredible. Every time. BUT, you say, how does that effect LIFE? People fail to understand the human trafficking business, and the kidnapping of children auctions. They put up pictures of their children/grandchildren to brag on them. Nefarious individuals harvest those pictures and post them on the dark web. The offers often exceed $20-40,000.00. Yeah, serious enough money for them to track down that child and arrange for a very life changing experience. Each and every picture and bit of data you've ever typed is archived somewhere. Remember the "metadata" collection by the NSA that was "ostensibly" stopped? Doubt it, but there are others who do it on a regular basis. A LOT come from Big Tech and the apps you install on your phone. I keep hearing people say "my profile's private". No, it's not. It takes no time at all to find out about anybody, usually in less than five minutes complete with address. Yet daily, I continue to see children's photos displayed everywhere on social media platforms. It's maddening to those of us that spend time trying to track missing children. It needs to stop. Totally. Truly feel confident in your actions? If you have over 100 friends on this platform, I guarantee at least one knows personally or someone close to them that's experienced the horrors of what I'm talking about. Websearch any way you wish, and look at the numbers of missing/exploited children in our nation every year. Look at the numbers sold outside our country every year. If you're a parent, can't take the time to find out for yourself? Shame. What could POSSIBLY be more important than your own child's health and welfare? Yes, we need to establish procedures to protect ourselves, but it's IMPERATIVE to insure protection of our children/grandchildren. If you just think about it, how could you rationalize being responsible for a child's life and failing that obligation? What could you POSSIBLY say? This is no joke, folks. This is as real as it gets. When your friends chastise you for posting those pictures, you've got a true friend. What else would they gain by telling you? Absolutely nothing. On the other hand, those who compliment and chortle about their cuteness only drive the likelihood of trouble higher, along with the price. When the money's right, LOOKOUT ! I won't even apologize for raising the issue. We've ALL got to be better than this! Immediately !