Toby Young has no need of a noddy shot
A couple of weeks ago I got a request from someone called Amba wanting to be my Facebook friend. Without thinking much about it, I said yes — I usually do when people ask to be friends with me on social networking sites. The upshot is that Amba now has access to my Facebook profile — she can see, for instance, that my favourite novelist is Charles Dickens — and can send messages to all my other Facebook friends.
The following day I received an email from an assistant producer on Watchdog revealing that I’d been targeted as part of a story she was working on investigating social networking sites and identity fraud. Apparently, ‘Amba’ was a pseudonym she had adopted to see how many people would be incautious enough to become online friends with her. The idea was to demonstrate how easy it would be for a fraudster to gain access to people’s personal details and steal their identity.
More articles from: Toby Young | this section
Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
Advertisement
Digital technology has made us a society of mass archivers, says Charles Leadbeater. Far from rotting our brains, the web enables us to preserve all our memories
Lloyd Evans on the perils of being both playwright and critic
Alex James leads a Slow Life
Marcus Berkmann doesn't enjoy hip-hop
I wish George Eliot or Alan Bennett had been with me in the Ryanair check-in queue
Build your own Sky package online. Sky TV, Broadband & Talk only £16.
Sky TV & free broadband packages available from £16 a month. Choose from a standard free sky box, sky plus or sky hd.
Build your own Sky package online. Sky TV, Broadband & Talk only £16.
Sky TV & free broadband packages available from £16 a month. Choose from a standard free sky box, sky plus...
PORTA METRONIA, ROME Standing high on the top of one of the seven hills of Rome- the Coelian- this unique
ROME and PARIS: over 350 holiday rentals apartments listed: visit www.romanreference.com and www.parisreference.com or call +39 0648 903612.
Goldsmiths by Design Welcome to Ruffs! You have found a company of Goldsmiths that specialises in the manufacture, amongst other
Spectator Business | Apollo Magazine
Corporate | Advertising | Privacy | Terms
Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP
All Articles and Content Copyright ©2008 by The Spectator | All Rights Reserved
Ali Adams
October 25th, 2007 2:50pmI have to say thank you for the link to this. I has given me quite an insight to how things can be manipulated with camera shots etc to get the result they want rather than whats the correct one. Brilliant!
Michael Morris
October 25th, 2007 4:54pmWatchdog peddling an agenda? I'm not as surprised as I should be...Wow, should we be afraid if some stranger finds our favourite film is ___ or book,___? What our status says we're doing? Oh jeeze, my page links to crazy pics of me too!And my close friends. Ahhh))) ...One word: FEAR! Check out Exploring Media discourse by Myra McDonald?
ian skidmore
October 25th, 2007 7:40pmGood for you. The first time I wa on Tv in a Book show to publicise my work the director said we must have a rehersal. my fellow guest the widow of the poet Vernon Watkins said " Why? We don't plan to give stupid or rude answers" "Ah" said the propducer. "If he presenter doesn't know what you are going to say he will have to listen to your answers The presenter went on to be Controller BBC Wales. Which figures