Internet Hoaxes and Bad Information

I am amazed how often I receive chain email and other notices that contain bad and untrue information.

We need to be more careful about what we forward and be careful to check sources before sending bad information along.

Sending along erroneous information without checking it out wastes a lot of time. And can have bad consequences. It also makes anything sent by the sender, suspect factually.

The latest on I received was about the Facebook Graph App. Sadly, although the hoax sounds authentic, the facts are materially different from reality--and reality is well documented. It is a hoax.

The really funny part about this hoax is that it makes the reader believe that it is possible to post data on the internet and keep it private.

The most important rule of the internet--anything you post will eventually be read by anyone and everyone who wants to read it. If you think there is any privacy, you are woefully uninformed. If you want privacy--unplug your computer.

Watch the hoaxes, minimize the bad info--and realize, privacy is a facade on the internet and we'll all be happier.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD