Fred Showker
Sep 7, 2018 · 2 min read

Here’s why we’ve always advocated a second account. Since the early days of Compuserve and bitnet, I have advocated a CYA attitude toward the technology industry.

  1. You know they cannot be trusted
  2. You know they will do most anything for a buck
  3. You know they are so huge, profitable and successful you, the individual user, means nothing to them. Nothing. Probably one hundred thousand users means nothing to them.
  4. You know they’ve built fully automated managed engines that ignore humans. Usually you cannot even find a human there. You are NOT the customer, you are the product.
  5. You know you sign away all rights when you click the “agree” button that you have to press to gain access even BEFORE you can read the terms you just agreed to
  6. You know they are untouchable. There’s not an attorney nor judge on this planet who will go up against the giants

As early builders of America Online communities, we established the top two cardinal rules of the internet. Oddly enough nobody remembers or cares or observes these rules, and that’s why this happens.

ONE: Nothing is secure online. NOTHING.

TWO: Never put anything online that you don’t want showing up on a million monitors.

If you are serious about letting the technology industry into your life, then get TWO accounts. Go get another, or a third Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon, eBay, Tumblr, Instagram, and yes VRBO along with any other online service you use. IF you had two accounts you probably would not have written this article. You’d simply start using that account, and set up a third. Simple.

You will thank me later.

    Fred Showker

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    Design, Typography & Graphics Magazine and 60-Seconds exploring technology since 1987

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