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How Much Is Your Online Identity Worth?
itwbennett writes "Answer a few questions about your personal Internet use, and a new tool from Symantec will calculate your net worth on the black market. You'll get three results: how much your online assets are worth, how much your online identity would sell for on the black market, and your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. The tool is intended to raise consumer awareness about cybercrime, said Marian Merritt, Internet security advocate for Symantec. It's unlikely the average consumer would read an Internet Security Threat Report, she added, but a simply illustrated example might get the same point across. 'It's shocking how little value criminals place on your credit card,' she said."
... to make more $$ for Norton. When will the shameless plugs ever end?
PRINT "Signature line broken."
GOTO 1
This tool is nothing but a giant slashvertisement, though I suppose that should be obvious. It was a complete waste of time. Oh and I'm worth $31 online if anyone wants to buy me ;o)
how much those black market names I was about to buy are really worth. Fantastic!
xxxxxxxxxx
It's your mess. YOU clean it up!
Someone thinks they're relevant?
Even if their tools did a good job at estimating my risk, convincing me to buy, and then covering my digital ass, the fact is that the vast majority of identity theft still occurs from dumpster diving, intercepted/misdelivered mail, and the waitress taking your credit card out of site.
If Symantec sold a good cheap shredder, or sold carry-to-table card readers to restaurants, then I'd give a fuck.
Gotta love leading questions:
Do you currently have a complete security software solution that includes spyware protection, antiphishing technology and a two-way firewall (BUY CO- ER, NORTON®!) installed on the personal computer you use most often?
Yeah, it's just a tool to raise awareness (BUY NORTON®!), indeed. Just a natural question, placed at the top of a page and taking up a lot of eye-space. It helps determine if we should give you the sales routine. No, it helps determine if how much a criminal would value your identity. No, uh... what were we trying to do again?
However, on a brighter note: I guessed a criminal could buy me, er... buy my online digital e-identity (or whatever they call it) for $20. They say I could go for as little as $11.29. Obviously I didn't take bartering into account.
PS: BUY NORTON®!
If all you have is a grenade, pretty soon every problem looks like a foxhole -- MightyYar
"Do you pay bills online? No? Can you VIEW bills online? No? Well...then that just means the hackers will try harder! BUY NORTON NOW!!!"
Brilliant marketing. It's a shame this power can't be harnessed for good.
The Norton Online Risk Calculator, unveiled within a microsite to coincide with the launch of Norton 2010,
All it does is make people anxious about unmeasurable quantities of unknown worth, arbitrarily estimated in an obscure manner with no basis in fact or reality. Treat it like astrology not security.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
IT IS GOOD THAT CRIMINALS DO NOT PLACE A HIGH VALUE ON OUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION.
That basically means that the info is not all that dangerous. It means criminals are afraid of getting caught if they use it, so why spend all that much for it. If the criminals were sure they could get away with it and all they needed was the info, that information would go for a lot higher.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
Enter your SSN, credit card number, and Mother's maiden name, fill out a short survey about which online sites you use most frequently, and we will calculate your online net worth!
I agree it's important to understand how to keep your information protected, but this sounds like the newest method of selling you the latest and greatest upgrades to Symantec's software. We have seen scare tactics in the News media to get you to watch their stations for the news and weather by over-sensationalizing the headlines or the topics to be covered.
Just the other day, the news eluded to the next hurricane that formed with this dire sounding report about keeping you informed. What the news failed to mention was that the particular storm was just off the coast of Africa and it's path was keeping it in the ocean off the coast of Africa.
It's not that I don't believe Symantec isn't touching upon an important topic, it's just the method by which they are choosing to report the data to the consumer.
Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.
Funny as your comment was intended, I stopped the questionary when it asked how much my total bank accounts were worth.
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