节目资讯
刊物:生活知识家
日期:2010-01-21
难易度:High
关键字:think back, browse, it all depends, secure, techno
(Music).
Welcome back, everyone.
Are you the kind of person who leaves a large digital footprint or a small one?
You know, everyone is different.
Some people are very private,
and it bothers them that strangers have access to their personal information
while others, well, they just don’t care.
Well, should you care?
It just so happens that our next paragraph begins with that question:
Should you be worried?
Let’s see what our author says online seventeen towards the bottom of page
thirty-eight.
Your Digital Footprint.
Should you be worried?
It all depends.
Information you actively add to your digital footprint can be seen by anyone -
and it never completely disappears from the digital universe.
But most of that information is secure.
Companies usually don’t give out your information.
Some companies use your digital footprint for your benefit.
If you have ever gotten a recommendation for a product while shopping online,
it’s because of your digital footprint.
If you are worried about the size of your digital footprint, ”walk” carefully.
Don’t share anything online that you don’t want strangers to see.
(Music).
Welcome back.
We’ve been talking about your digital footprint and actually the size of your
digital footprint.
And the kind of information, the amount of information that you are leaving
behind you that other people can follow.
People that you don’t know.
That sounds a little scary.
So our article asks:
Should you be worried?
Well, our article says it all depends.
Now Chelsea, when we say it depends or it all depends, what are we... what are
we saying?
Well, we’re saying that something hasn’t really been decided yet.
It depends on something else.
In order to make a decision, we have to think about other things.
So it all depends.
I might say if someone asks me:
Chelsea, could you help with this project?
I might say, ”Well, it all depends on my schedule and if I have the time.”.
Or if I ask, ”Chelsea, do you like to shop?”.
Well Chip, that all depends on if I have the money and the time to go shopping.
So should you be worried about your digital footprint and the information that
is going out?
Well, it all depends.
Yeah. It’s hard to say, ”Yes, you should be worried,” or ”No, you should not be
worried,” because it depends.
Information you actively add to your digital footprint can be seen by anyone.
You should know that.
And you should also know that it never completely disappears from the digital
universe.
Now we have some more information about being careful on Facebook.
Be careful on Facebook!
Your digital footprint on your Facebook page may be used for more than just
keeping friends informed of your activities.
College admissions departments regularly check Facebook pages to ascertain the
character of the applicant.
Employers check up on potential employees to find out more than resumes reveal.
Even the taxman checks networking sites to see if those avoiding taxes made any
references to financial matters.
Well, that is really interesting.
So a lot of this information that you’re putting out there on Facebook never
disappears from the digital universe.
That is all the information that is stored digitally throughout the world.
I was a little surprised to hear some of that information,
although I do have to say I’ve heard of a couple of stories where people had
actually been fired from their jobs.
Yes.
Because of information that their bosses saw on their Facebook page.
Right.
Yeah. You have to be careful about the kind of thing that you’re putting out
there on the Internet,
the kind of information that you’re putting on your Facebook page or your blogs,
because it’s not just your friends who can see that information.
It’s also possibly your bosses, your employers, your managers.
And you want to be careful about that.
It’s very true.
Now we’ve been talking about all of this passive data that goes out without our
knowing it.
We do want to reassure you a little bit though.
Most information that goes out is secure.
Now that word ”secure” means it is safe from danger.
It’s protected from any threats.
No one can really steal it because it is so safe.
I know the first thing I think of is banking information.
When I want to buy something online and I have to use my credit card,
I put my bank information, my bank account number into the Internet.
That’s a little scary, but I trust that that information is secure.
Right. You trust that it’s not going to hurt you or that by putting that
information there that you’re not in danger.
It’s secure.
It’s kept safe.
And I actually remember some of the first times that I put my credit card
information into a website because I was ordering something.
Uh, it was back when the Internet was new to me.
And I remember being a little afraid that I... you know, I’m putting pretty
important information out there that I don’t want everyone to have.
Right.
When it’s bank information, you want to make sure that no one can see that,
um... so it’s not stolen,
and so money of yours is not stolen from other people who happen to get your
banking information.
But fortunately, most information that goes out is secure because companies
usually don’t give out your information.
That’s another thing I’ve noticed on the Internet.
When I order something or when I have to put my personal information into a
website,
a lot of companies have a little note at the bottom of their page that says, ”We
do not share personal information.”.
Now personally, this makes me feel a lot more comfortable about putting my
personal information on a website.
Right.
I like it when companies promise that they’re not going to share my information
with anybody.
But actually, some companies use your digital footprint for your benefit.
So obviously, sometimes your information out there could be a problem.
But actually, some companies use it for your benefit, so it’s actually sometimes
a good thing.
For example, if you’ve ever gotten a recommendation for a product while shopping
online,
it’s because of your digital footprint.
And I’ve had that happen many times.
I go online to maybe order a book, and it remembers the last time I ordered the
book, and it makes suggestions.
It says:
Well, if you like this book, you might also like this book and this book and
this book.
So it stores my information and then it helps me when it comes to buying
something that I might like.
It gives a recommendation for a product while shopping.
So this is all part of your digital footprint.
Right. So your digital footprint could help you spend more money, it sounds
like.
And companies would certainly like that.
Well, if you’re worried about the size of your digital footprint,
then you want to walk carefully or use the Internet carefully.
So don’t share anything online that you don’t want strangers to see.
Well, that’s all we have for today and this article.
Before we go, let’s watch a skit.
Aha!
I can see that you have very big feet.
Hey! How do you know?
You can’t even see my feet.
But I can see your computer and your cell phone and your credit card.
What are you talking about?
Your digital footprint.
It depends on how much digital information you leave behind.
Oh. Then my footprint isn’t very big.
I give out very little information.
Yes, but think back.
How many security cameras took your picture today?
Security cameras?
Yes. That’s information you’re leaving behind.
Hmm.
I guess it is.
And what about information you put on the computer?
Hmm. That information is secure, isn’t it?
Ha! Not always.
Some of it can be viewed by anyone.
Anyone!
Oh, no.
Now I’m very worried.
Every time you browse a website, your information can be taken and stored.
Stored?
Yes, forever in the digital universe.
Oh, no.
The size of my digital footprint is bigger than I thought.
Yeah. So from now on, ”walk” carefully.
Don’t share anything online that you don’t want strangers to know.
Right. I’m not sharing any more information.
Good.
Of course, you can share things with me.
Got any secrets?
(Chinese).
Well, it’s time for us to say goodbye.
Make sure you come back tomorrow.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Michelle.
If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like having any kind of digital
footprint,
I think your only choice is to throw away your cell phone and laptop computer.
But that’s not realistic, is it?
I mean digital technology makes possible tools that make our lives easier and
more complicated at the same time.
Speaking of leaving a footprint, tomorrow our lesson will be about credit cards.
It happens in our monthly VIEWPOINTS feature.
Until then, have a great day and try to keep your digital footprint small.
Bye-bye, friends.
(Music).