The world of electronics is weird and crazy.
About five or six years ago I said to my spouse, “The world of electronics is dangerous.”
I went on to say that to just about anyone who would listen, including my readers. I predicted no one would have any privacy due to the invasion of electronics. This was just about the time the government was promising all of us they were going to protect our privacy. They even insisted all companies spend large amounts of money to send mailings out declaring they were helping. Some examples of things to look out for follow.
If a person is seeking a job, the company they are applying to can gather background information and for a small fee, trace the applicant’s entire life’s history. If a person has been let go from a previous employer, the information is listed. Want to know someone’s education background, look it up. If you need to know if they were ever let go for using drugs, look that up. The items a person places on a job application had better match or the applicant can forget about that job.
Another example is credit card, bank or car loan applications. If you falsify any data, your misdeed can be discovered in the time of a keystroke. The application will, of course, be denied. It would probably be wise to go look yourself up before submitting applications to anyone to be certain the online information is accurate.
We have to admit though electronics have given many of us great advantages. My column is a good example. At one time, after handwriting it, typing it on a word processor and printing it, I had to snail mail it. One burp at the post office, which can happen, and the column not only missed a deadline but had to be done over and re-submitted for the next deadline.
The electronic world has brought all of us together like a giant connecting cord — phone text, email, Facebook, Twitter and skype to name a few. A message can be sent around town or around the world in a matter of seconds. But with such rapid deployment, what is sent can often be read by others via media such as Facebook. People that you don’t even know who are interconnected may read your message. The other problem with hitting that send button is maybe you didn’t really want to say what you later had to read in print. A post online can be difficult to take back or delete.
So the world of electronics is wide open even though constant assurances are given about protection.
Looking items up on Google or any search engine can provide you with very precise data. Once again, as I’ve learned, it may not be correct and no guarantees are offered as such. Of course, the same can be said for information gathered from other sources.
I recently read an article, in a well-respected publication, that explained the introduction of apples that will not bruise or turn brown when exposed to air. The article stated our government’s agriculture department gave its approval. They said, “The apples are not likely to pose a plant risk or have a significant impact on the human environment.”
The government’s statement tells me we are being introduced to apples which are not yet tested but may be OK. Keeping that in mind, once again I suggest you know what you are eating. Don’t try to look this up, it’s not online yet. And remember what is online is many times just little more than an opinion — just like my column.
As I see it, my prediction I spoke of, in spite of our government’s intervention, has come to be and now anyone can assume anyone’s identification with little effort. All they need do is turn to our world of electronics. But that’s another topic to address later.