I recently took a regional flight which lasted about 1.5 hours. I flew on one of those jets where you actually have to fold yourself into the seat and the overhead compartments are large enough to stow a pop tart in. I would guess a total of 75 people fit on that aircraft, which was quite possibly designed to carry 50 comfortably at one time. Across the aisle from me two women were seated next to each other, having never met prior to the flight. During the next hour or so they engaged in conversation during which time I learned:
- Their names
- Where they were from
- Where they were going
- How long they would be gone
- Reason for their trip
- Marital Status
- Job Titles and Descriptions
- Number of Children (and names)
- What they like to do for fun (personally and with family)
Of course I was not recording (writing down) any of this nor was I straining to eavesdrop on their conversation. It helped that they were across the aisle from me but I know if I could hear all of this information so could the other 6 people who were within earshot. It was quite amazing really, these two women were stuck in their own little world but sharing all of this personal information with complete strangers.
The lesson here is that you need to keep your personal information private, to include your prepping strategies. People who simply do not have a need to know about your life, family, work, or prep supplies should remain in the dark about all of those things! We have become so accustomed as a society to sharing every aspect of our lives, whether it be through personal conversation or especially social media. We go out to social events, sporting events or even the rifle range and share all kinds of info with complete strangers just so we can “get to know” each other. Or we are so excited about what we have achieved during the last 6 months of prepping that we have to bring over a few friends to show them. Absolute lunacy.
I’m not suggesting that we should adopt the life of a hermit or start lying about our family life or occupation. That is tough to do and can start to weave a very tangled web. I am merely suggesting that we should be cognizant of who we are divulging information to, be it in person or through the web. Do these people (friends or not) really need to know what is going on in our lives beyond the basic vanilla information that we wouldn’t mind sharing with a complete stranger?
It is already too easy to uncover information on just about anyone you might encounter, the internet has simplified the process. There no need to volunteer any more information than is absolutely necessary when interacting with others. Keep a close hold on your private data, to include prepping strategies. Once the information is out in the open it can never be brought back in. I realize some of you might be wondering how I can run this website and still obey my own OPSEC rules. I feel that I can still educate and share information without compromising too much, sometimes that requires being very general or avoiding topics altogether. The reality of the situation is if the big boys (guys in suits) have their eyes on me, they already know everything there is to know regardless.
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