I think that the analogy you're using is a bit of a stretch. If it takes a million years for a person to figure out not to open the ridiculously titled email message that's from someone they've never heard of, my advice to them would be to slowly stand up and back away from the computer.
Perhaps I am overly cynical about the whole issue, but at the point where users repeat the same online behaviors that yield negative results and then complain loudly about how "someone should do something about all this spam!" I just have to wonder what Darwin would have to say about all this.
If I sound like I'm damning the new users, I'd say it's just easier for some who are more technical to joke about it so that we won't instead become jaded to the problem and leave the people who do need help with unfamiliar areas to bleed.
I hear you on that. I've felt great since I decided to refinance my...kneecap *ahem*.
Seriously, though, I'm often amazed at how ignorant the general public can be about Spam and junk emails. I understand that some spammers are very good at what they do, but doesn't it just make you lose faith in humanity knowing that someone, somewhere, has chosen to actually open a message titled something like
"drew S0MMA, V1AAGRRA, V1C0DD1N, C1AAL1S, \/ALLIUM, XANAA, C0DE1NE, Z0LOFT AT L0W somewhere end!!!!".
Wow.
Speaking as a current student of CSU, Chico: I gave the school my SSN because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to: apply for financial aid or work study, utilize the school's clerical services, or set up online accounts to register for classes.
I only gave the school my SSN once when I initially registered to attend. Guess what was breached? The server that had that one instance of my SSN.
I agree that it's too bad that SSNs have to be used, but the blame here doesn't fall on students. It's not an issue of "you should give us your SSN because we would like it over a student ID;" it's an issue of "you should give us your SSN because we won't enroll you otherwise." I think the real issue hear is the failure of those in charge of data. For those of you who don't know how it works, CSU Chico has one department, called User Services, that is in charge of essentially every network and system on campus. User Services screwed up, bad, and not a single student on campus could do anything about it, regardless of how loose they may be with thier SSN.
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I think that the analogy you're using is a bit of a stretch. If it takes a million years for a person to figure out not to open the ridiculously titled email message that's from someone they've never heard of, my advice to them would be to slowly stand up and back away from the computer. Perhaps I am overly cynical about the whole issue, but at the point where users repeat the same online behaviors that yield negative results and then complain loudly about how "someone should do something about all this spam!" I just have to wonder what Darwin would have to say about all this. If I sound like I'm damning the new users, I'd say it's just easier for some who are more technical to joke about it so that we won't instead become jaded to the problem and leave the people who do need help with unfamiliar areas to bleed.
I hear you on that. I've felt great since I decided to refinance my...kneecap *ahem*. Seriously, though, I'm often amazed at how ignorant the general public can be about Spam and junk emails. I understand that some spammers are very good at what they do, but doesn't it just make you lose faith in humanity knowing that someone, somewhere, has chosen to actually open a message titled something like "drew S0MMA, V1AAGRRA, V1C0DD1N, C1AAL1S, \/ALLIUM, XANAA, C0DE1NE, Z0LOFT AT L0W somewhere end!!!!". Wow.
Speaking as a current student of CSU, Chico: I gave the school my SSN because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to: apply for financial aid or work study, utilize the school's clerical services, or set up online accounts to register for classes.
I only gave the school my SSN once when I initially registered to attend. Guess what was breached? The server that had that one instance of my SSN.
I agree that it's too bad that SSNs have to be used, but the blame here doesn't fall on students. It's not an issue of "you should give us your SSN because we would like it over a student ID;" it's an issue of "you should give us your SSN because we won't enroll you otherwise." I think the real issue hear is the failure of those in charge of data. For those of you who don't know how it works, CSU Chico has one department, called User Services, that is in charge of essentially every network and system on campus. User Services screwed up, bad, and not a single student on campus could do anything about it, regardless of how loose they may be with thier SSN.