Chapter 6
The cool thing about the evolution of the internet is how fast and efficient things can be. But an awful thing about the evolution of the internet is how fast and efficient things can be. Identify theft is a scary thing that has mostly reduced to a joke from The Office, but it is super serious. My dad had his identity stolen about fifteen years ago and while the effects haven’t been dire, it is a massive inconvenience and I frequently think about how bad it could have been. When I started filling out my own paperwork using my SSN, it’s always nerve wracking. I think filling out online forms is worse than doing it physically because I have to trust that this website is secure. Because, calling back to the efficiency of computers, there’s probably a convenient button to pull out home addresses and social security numbers from all records. On the other hand, if a physical piece of paper has my information, it’s physically secure in a locked filing cabinet amidst other similar pieces of paperwork so maybe I’m not the first to get doxxed but maybe the building will burn down. So, it’s a give and take and I have to trust in the universe or whatever that my information will remain safe.