I was validated on a couple different levels in the past 24 hours.

My Mom send out a request last evening for participation in the wildly popular “bebo.com” address book website. I do not, by any means, intend any of the comments in this blog as a slight against the bebo.com people, their clients/users, or anyone who has used bebo.com in the past, or anyone who is likely to use it in the future.

But frankly, I am far too paranoid about Internet security to ever place a series of vital information about myself into an online database. It just sounds far too risky for me. What happens when that server is compromised? You’re confident in the words of some limey in a Braves cap who lives in San Francisco? That’s fine, and maybe I should be envious of less paranoid people, but there’s just no way I will ever do it.

Validation #1 was when Dave Schrubbe sent me an article from MSNBC:
Database giant gives access to fake firms

Now, assuming here that you’ve read at least part of that article, my next question makes loads of sense: if the biggest information gathering company IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA can be broken into, trust me: bebo.com can totally be broken into.

I forgot now what vaildation number two was, but personally, I think the first one is enough anyway.

If you ask me, there are far too many methods of information gathering for people with malicious intentions to NOT be extremely cautious about everything. Honestly, there are times that I wonder if too much has been divulged on this website, and there’s practically no sensitive information (except maybe a name and email address, possibly a phone number somewhere) in here.

Point is, I’m going to keep being paranoid, and if you could please not print this blog entry out, pass it around, or even talk to others about the fact that you’ve read it (or even that you’ve met me and know where I live) that would be AWESOME.