Webpage from which leaked details could be downloaded
Photo: Galit Kosovsky
Stop Internet shopping
Op-ed: Saudi hackers reminded us of dangers inherent in modern credit card era
Every one of us has a grandpa who said that “there is no better friend than cash,” yet nonetheless, all of us use credit cards, checks and anything that would spare us the burden of counting the change when we leave.
Leaked Information
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When I opened my bank account, I got two credit cards (one for Europe and one for the US,) three checkbooks (“you never know when you’ll need them,”) and mostly was sold the thinking whereby anything is possible.
We pay our bills on the Internet, while online bank transfers and coupon sites turned the need to get out of our homes into a luxury. Why should we go out into the world when we can simply type in our credit card number at the right website and print a coupon?
At first there were quite a few people who did not believe in the many opportunities offered by the Internet, had trouble accepting the ease with which everything was done and did not buy into the promises of full-proof data protection. Yet slowly these people too caved in and typed in more and more personal details on dubious websites.
Ultimately I reached a situation whereby the store where I buy dog food knows everything about me, and I mean everything.
Time to stop the madness
And that’s not the only such case. You swipe your credit card every day, several times a day, at gas stations, grocery stores and the soda machine at work. You provide your ID number to any sales representative who tries to sell you a service, insurance or some kind of lie, and you share your birth date with every restaurant in town, as long as you get a free dessert on your birthday.
Hasn’t the time come to stop the madness?
Again and again we hear about a new database that was breached – on one occasion it was our personal details that leaked from the Interior Ministry, then it was photos from private online albums, and now it’s credit card information.
I won’t reprimand you and urge you to go back to stashing your cash under your tiles, as we used to do in the past. There is no need to exaggerate. However, perhaps the time has come to again keep some of the information to ourselves, and to go back to the days where we were suspicious and thought twice before handing over our lives to other people?
