How I feel about it.

I use social networking sites quite a bit. I Never give out my last name unless I have chatted enough with that person and feel I can trust them (so far only one person has actually obtained this trust). I can say I am fairly safe with myself on the internet.

I have, however, my email of five years has been hacked once. It wasn't a huge deal seeing how there wasn't anything too important on it and all I had to do was make a new one and changed off of the emails I list on sites (strictly for art commission business).  

I feel that this whole hacking of accounts on various sites is rather childish and stupid, even more so when you try to wreck an average person. I understand why someone would try to hack a big company's email or computers but that's different (though still horrid). However, it is not old the childish nature of the hacker to blame but sometimes the stupidity of the people for sharing too much or making their passwords too easy and not changing since they had been first set. 

In some cases once hackers get a hold of someone's email they can access things such as that person's online back account, facebook or other sites, this can sometimes lead to these people getting too much information about you, steal your money for identity. Now, this is a very scary reality for me. The idea scares me that this happens to some people. Mind you, my paranoia can be somewhat to blame for my irrational fear of basically everything, but the thought that things like that do actually happen and happens 8.4 times a year (in america, a survey from 2007). So, that is why I do not share things like my phone number or address online. The only thing I share is my email to people who ask and wish for art commissions (though, that is rare for me to do because no one really wants to buy my art).

I personally have never had my identity stolen or have even got an online stalker, nor has anyone I know. In short, I have no real connection with this subject other from my irrational paranoia telling me that all these terrible things are going to happen to me.