Yesterday whilst visiting my chatroom an interesting topic came up. After a bit of a bitch about trolls being really irritating, someone announced that people troll because the internet isn’t real. I found this statement quite baffling. I know that for some, venturing online feels like entering a foreign country where no one speaks English; but is the internet so far removed from reality that it’s morphed into an alternate universe?

The internet can remove the accountability you have for your actions and bump up your courage points while you’re hidden anonymously behind your computer screen. People may behave differently under these circumstances and say or do things that they wouldn’t ordinarily do, but it’s still them, is it not? They don’t develop some alternate personality, it’s the same person with lowered inhibitions.

I’ve always hated the term “IRL” (In Real Life).

Example. I have this friend IRL that doesn’t use the internet.

What? I tend to avoid categorising my life into sections of real and make-believe, lest I develop schizophrenia. I really just don’t understand this distinction between “real life” and the internet. I don’t miraculously turn into some other person when I open my browser. The rules of interaction may change – I wouldn’t go up to someone in person and make little star (*) motions with my hands whilst hugging them – but the norms of communication are still essentially the same, no? You’re still communicating with a real and tangible person and it’s still possible to develop ties and feelings with that person.

Granted, there are many out there that aren’t honest about themselves online (tsk tsk) and take advantage of the anonymity that the internet provides; but there are liars and assholes everywhere. They follow you into your “real life” too. I know several.

I use the internet a lot. It’s my source of income as well as a hobby. As far as I’m concerned it’s a part of my life, not a separate entity floating along beside it. Honestly, I feel bad for people that need to maintain a second life to make their first bearable. I’m far too lazy for that.

Apparently not on the internet, but you probably knew that already.

I have a pixel graphics subscription site – Doodlebug Pixels. I use a membership script called aMember Pro to manage my member area and to handle payments through PayPal. One of the first things I noticed when I installed aMember about 6 months ago was that there is absolutely no encryption on passwords, i.e. anyone with access to the admin panel can plainly read the password information of each member.

aMember is a very popular script with pixel subscription sites similar to my own. Those not wishing to pay the high price for it ($139.95 on SALE – it’s been at that “limited time offer” price since I purchased it back in May) and attempt to make sense of the broken English in the user manual use standard webprotect through cpanel, set up with login information provided by subscribers.

All in all, this makes for a lot of unsecured passwords floating around the pixel community and a lot of reliance on the morals of the website owners keeping them. Unfortunately not every person out there is ethical and a couple of days ago I heard something on the e-grapevine that I found very disappointing. Apparently a certain webmaster decided to take advantage of the smorgasboard of login details provided by her subscribing members and use them to login to other websites without the consent of the people belonging to them; essentially gaining free access to sites that her members had paid subscription fees to access.

This really pissed me off! Virtually every website that I own collects various forms of personal information from members. I would never, ever even consider using the personal information entrusted to me in any way that wasn’t intended to benefit my users. I certainly wouldn’t take advantage of my position and access to the personal information of my members for my own benefit.

After a bit of thought, I set up a quick page about privacy in the pixel community and why confidentiality is important – http://privacy.doodlebugpixels.com

Basically, pixel website owners wishing to show their members that they believe in confidentiality and the protection of private information can display one of the buttons I have provided on their site, linking back to my Privacy Protected page. In return, I add them to the list of privacy supporters. Simple concept, yes? Yeah, I thought so too until the woman that inspired this little project decided to submit her site and display the button on her site. Honestly, I’m baffled by the nerve of this woman. Her submission was swiftly followed by another email asking if I would trade memberships with her. Not likely!

Despite that little bump in the road, I’m pleased with the response this idea has received. I virtually had 30 supporters overnight and already have plans for more information to add…