How Much Is Your Online Identity Worth? 199
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."
This tool is intended... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:This tool is intended... (Score:4, Insightful)
Seems its going really bad for Symantec, with all their stupid spammy marketing efforts..
Just earlier we had this http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/09/04/1648254/Symantec-Wants-To-Use-Victims-To-Hunt-Computer-Criminals [slashdot.org]
So now its not just bloat software, but they're going to spam us with stupid things? Instead of actually doing whats needed, lightweight and protective antivirus?
Slashvertising at its best. (Score:5, Insightful)
Now I can look up.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Symantec (Score:1, Insightful)
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.
Not an advertisement, no way (Score:5, Insightful)
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®!
Online Banking is the DEVIL! (Score:3, Insightful)
"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.
This is advertising FUD, not a useful tool (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
It's shocking how little... (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:This tool is intended... (Score:1, Insightful)
When anyone can pose as you online, or accuse you of anything online, or invent anything about you that they want online, or post fake-ass complaints about individual people simply because they're angry at them on extortion sites like rip-off report... then your identity is worthless. You are always just one stalker or one angry upset person away from having your whole integrity and personality and trust destroyed online. And since Google will just as well rank some angry ex girlfriend or stalker or mentally unstable banned user of your own web site or anything else higher than your own content, you can't hide behind obscurity and hope that future girlfriends, boyfriends, family, friends, employers, and others won't stumble onto it and have no way to determine if the comments are from legitimate sources or deranged assholes looking to hurt you in the most destructive yet passive way they can... and all without any legal recourse.
So what is your online identity worth? Pretty much nothing.
Enter your SSN, credit card number, and mother's.. (Score:1, Insightful)
A Marketing Ploy, me thinks (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
Re:Not working for me. (Score:5, Insightful)
Funny as your comment was intended, I stopped the questionary when it asked how much my total bank accounts were worth.
Re:This tool is intended... (Score:5, Insightful)
What I really liked about their plug was this (FTA):
Cybercrime is now larger than the international drug trade...
I don't have numbers, but my B.S. meter is going off the charts. I humbly request a definition of "bigger". If they mean that more people are affected by cybercrime than are directly involved in the international drug trade, then OK. But if you count even indirect supporters of the drug trade, that falls apart - They claim 10 million people were victims of cybercrime last year - You can't tell me that there are fewer than 10 million people supporting the illegal drug trade right now. No way. Even if they're talking about $$, I still call shenanigans - The drug trade is BIG money. If somebody has numbers contradicting that balance, please share, but that quote reeks of FUD.
I realize that I'm demanding citations without providing any - It still sounds fishy.
Re:It's shocking how little... (Score:3, Insightful)
Er, no, its because there's plenty of supply, and its rather low risk to obtain a CC number. This is why coke or pot is so expensive, the supply is not up with demand, and its fairly high risk to produce and sell the drugs.