TMI, or Too Much Information, describes what far too many people are posting online. Not even taking advantage of privacy options on the social networks, many are posting a scary amount of information without a second thought. Here’s one example from Twitter and another from Facebook.
Twitter account @NeedADebitCard simply retweets posts that contain the phrase “debit card” or “credit card” and also link to some of the popular image hosting services like TwitPic, yfrog, and others. The results: a Twitter account that aggregates easily-readable pictures of debit cards or credit cards, their numbers, and the names on them. It’s only a little information away (CVV2 or PIN) from being able to easily use that information.
YourOpenBook.org may have closed up shop allowing an easy search across public Facebook posts but here’s one with a new twist: WeKnowWhatYoureDoing.com. It searches public Facebook status messages that contain certain keywords. For example, saying “I hate my boss” (which they could easily see if they visit your Facebook page) will land you in the “Who wants to get fired?” column. Other columns include “Who’s hungover”, “Who’s taking drugs”, and “Who’s got a new phone number” with appropriate keywords to find people that fit the categories and may even be sharing their phone number with the world.
Either stop posting so much information that could land you in trouble/make you a victim of identity theft or adjust your privacy settings so you’re not sharing with the whole world. Two interesting social experiments that will be interesting to watch in the future.