Christmas decorations & privacy concerns
Holiday snaps are a treasure trove of information — remember that before you post them
The other day, I posted this photo on Twitter and asked people what information it conveyed to them:
First of all, I am appalled at the number of you who hated the retro blue Christmas tree my son had lovingly picked out — and would like to inform you that you’re going straight to hell.
Just kidding.
Or am I.
Besides that, people mostly focused on the following elements:
The obvious one was the Marine Corps ornament you see at the top of the picture:
Now why is that significant? In my case, I’m pretty sure it was my brother who bought that ornament for an ex of mine (who’s indeed a former Marine), and I ended up keeping it because it’s pretty and delights the active duty Marines I know — which isn’t earth-shattering information, but could be useful to any foreign intelligence operatives who decided to, say, get involved in my life somehow.
I don’t have a sensitive job, so it’s not an issue, but I know some people who are reading this do have sensitive jobs.
The point is, we don’t often realize how much info about our affiliations or careers a simple tree ornament can broadcast. It’s something to be aware of.
Moving on, a lot of people noticed the very traditional, very Russian Ded Moroz (Father Frost, a version of Santa) figurine with a matryoshka (or nesting doll) on the tree:
I’m originally from Eastern Europe, and my son was born all the way in Moscow — so in my case, that ornament isn’t really a surprise, is it.
I’m not the point of the exercise, though. The implications are the point. Imagine you’re at the house of someone who happens to be a very private person who doesn’t like to talk about their background online. And imagine you snap this photo and post it publicly. Suddenly, the matryoshka is more than a matryoshka.
Then, of course, we also have the cactus:
In my case, the cactus is actually a nice contrast with wintry motifs and a symbol of my fascinating with the American Southwest. I’d really like to go! Which one of you is coming with me?…
… Look, again, though, my desire to see Utah is not the point here. The point is, little details like that can really round out one’s digital footprint and potentially give away information that you weren’t even aware of. Is this an argument against posting a delightful cactus ornament? Absolutely not! It’s an argument for having greater situational awareness online.
Now, on to my favorite part. I’m so glad you guys noticed the sled!
Yep, that’s Rosebud in the corner there! I’m a huge, HUGE fan of Citizen Kane and I stash the sled in the corner as a little homage to one of my favorite movies. What does that say about me? Well, for one thing, I’m a clearly sentimental nerd.
What can be done with this kind of information? Oh, anything. If you were trying to catfish me on the internet — and sometimes, creeps who know me try literally that — you could tell me how much you love Citizen Kane and watch me melt (until I eventually realize that something’s off, as I usually do).
Again, I’m pointing this out not to scare you. I’m pointing it out because we live in a very connected world, where we are very exposed.
Finally, here is a BIG shout-out to Vicki for noticing the glass ornaments:
I collect particular ornaments from a particular seller every year. If you were to dig into my social media history, you could even find the seller. And maybe hang out near him, anticipating my arrival… But please don’t do that! :)
Again, our digital footprints leave us exposed. In most instances, that’s perfectly fine! It starts to become less fine when we have stalkers, which is an issue I have ample experience with. This is why it helps to pay attention to your holiday photos and your photos in general. You never know in what context they may eventually be used.
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