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Facebook is a bit like going to Mexico.

I do get your point completely Tony. We go to Mexico and even places in Mexico where others fear to tread. We also go to other places in the world as well as places in the US where some would not go. We even drive the back roads. But Facebook (and the whole internet thing for that matter) is a whole different thing altogether. That, it seems, is the point so many seem to miss. I use the analogy of parking your car in a bad neighborhood with the windows rolled down and the keys in the ignition (you might as well put your wallet full of credit cards on the dash as well). You are providing easy access to your valuables to any crook who has modest skills and a halfway decent computer. Today there are supercomputers and people with amazing skills who work in teams to collate every detail of anyone's and everyone's ID. I know many choose to believe otherwise and to believe you can be safe if you put in a few controls and also control your behavior on these social media websites. So I get that you say we take risks when we travel just about anywhere and relate that to social media and Facebook in particular. I think the differences are vast and beyond most people's comprehension - which is why I travel many places but would never go on Facebook. I am not a conspiracy theorists and do not wear a tin hat. I read the reports of the hacks and how many there are and how they are done and how much money it costs and how much people can lose and what it takes to get your identity back once it has been compromised. I read about cyber security. I understand because the US Navy trained me about all this stuff a very long time ago - in a different world in much less complicated times. Today the whole thing is so much more sophisticated it is beyond imagination. They can steal my car and my RV and whatever. But to have an ID stolen is a whole other thing. Going on the internet exposes us to some serious risks that did not exist before. Going on Facebook increases those risks exponentially in ways that most people simple cannot comprehend - which is obviously why billions of naive people do it - and why the criminal community is jumping for joy. We make choices and take risks - why would someone jump out of a perfectly good airplane - which millions choose to do. But Facebook is a whole other ballgame. US football players wear tons of protective equipment and years later find out that almost 90% of them have brain damage. You think you are protecting yourself. Going on Facebook is like playing football without a helmet. Take the time and make the effort to research some of what I am trying to say. You will find the risks are far greater than you choose to believe.

Headed d own this week through Columbia Bridge. Will do our usual stops in Matehual and San Miguel. Checked out the RV parks in Oaxaca and Teotihuacan and comments in last month indicated they are open with good remarks. We have been using a 34' 5th wheel and a 2006 Chevie diesel but got a used 2002 Roadtrek to suppliment travel. There are just to many places in Mexico that you cannot get a 5th wheel into, notably San Cristobal de las Casas.

We have found Ioverlander to be excellent for a Class B in Newfoundland. It did give us a few great sites in Yucatan for 5th wheel but should be even better for Class B. Friends told us about excellent commercial cenotes that you could overnight for free once you had paid day costs. Really enjoyed Hacienda Santo Domingo in Izamal, which is primarily used by European Overlanders. Harald said we were the only 5th wheel they had seen in quite a while.
Reed and Elaine

Facebook is a bit like going to Mexico. Actually, it is exactly like going to Mexico. There are some that venture over the border despite all the warnings and find it an interesting and delightful place. There are others who have never ventured anywhere and don't intend to, but who nevertheless issue dire warnings to the rest of us. There are the unfortunate few who have never crossed into Mexico but who crash and burn back in their own country AND of course there are a few who do cross into Mexico and crash and burn there.

Same with facebook. You can choose to expose yourself to the world if you are particularly stupid or inept, or you can configure things so you can maximise the benefits of facebook while minimising your exposure. Your choice. BTW there are nearly two billion users who get on facebook in any month so obviously the "don't go to Mexico or you will die" scare tactics aren't working

A person can get hacked the second they log onto the internet, even logging on here. Its all luck of the draw and has nothing to do with playing it safe.

Very true. But there is a huge difference between going on the internet in general and going on so-called social media - especially Facebook. Social media is much more personal and people do put out more information about themselves than on the internet in general - whether people intend to or not social media makes a great deal more about a person's identity easily available. People not only put out stuff about themselves but they have "friends" who also can expose their identity to the world. Then people put out things such as pictures of themselves and their family and friends. This adds substantially to creating a profile of an individual that is much less available on the internet in general.

We probably all buy stuff from places like Amazon - which exposes us and our credit cards to the internet. Certainly a risk. But social media is hugely more personal. Connect today's computers and "phones" to an individual and everything about us is out there for the talented hackers to see. Every phone has GPS so our location and habits are available to all. Social media increases exposure exponentially. The risks grow exponentially.

Way back when (1949?) a book titled "1984" put the fear of "big brother is watching" into the world. We wanted our privacy. We did not want to be watched. I still don't. But it seems a goodly percent of the world is saying - " hey, look at me" - which is precisely what social media is. Everyone can have a computer and a cell phone but very few seem to know how much these things can expose you to the criminal element - not just your "friends". I previously used the word naive and I can think of no better word to try to explain the lack of understanding most people have about how much using a computer and/or cell phone exposes so much more information about us than most people even begin to realize. So that seems to be a big part of the problem I see - most people just have not idea - they think they do but they really have no clue. 1984 is alive and well but it is not only Big Brother who is watching - the whole world is watching. They do not have to steal - the naive are giving it all out for free.

A person can get hacked the second they log onto the internet, even logging on here. Its all luck of the draw and has nothing to do with playing it safe.

Sorry - I obviously have problems with Facebook. When I say name I mean identity - which does involve more than the name - and which so many people so freely put out to the world for all to see - and you do not have to do much clicking at all to get hacked (an all to common misconception). I have said about all I can say and if you choose not to get it then I truly wish you luck - hope you don't need it.

Belgique wrote:
Sorry. I caused all this by mentioning Kevin and Ruth's great FB site. Naive of me to think that those who don't do FB would just scroll on by.

no, don't be sorry. I appreciate the reference. Personally I think Briansue's tinfoil hat is on a little tight, but that is his right.

I personally use FB and I'm reasonably confident my computer hasn't been compromised. Mostly because I don't click on stuff or say "ok" to random popups that prompt me to install something (the behavior of the image exploit Briansue specifically mentioned BTW)

like I said before, the web site by Bill Bell isn't on Facebook at all, but he does have a good group for up to date info on FB.

Sorry. I caused all this by mentioning Kevin and Ruth's great FB site. Naive of me to think that those who don't do FB would just scroll on by.

sounds like fun

Interestingly enough, I started a FB group for all the people with my name. We hope to have a get together in the next couple of years all checking into the same hotel, making reservations with the same airlines . . . Well, you get the idea :)