Ray finds much to enjoy about Web 2.0 technology and services -- the YouTubes, the Wikipedias, the mash-ups -- yet he is bothered as only a network security professional can be:
[W]ith the rush to make websites 2.0 compliant, companies are throwing privacy and security considerations out the window in hopes of riding this new wave of catch-phrase coolness.
You think this mere hyperbole? Read on:
Recently a colleague of mine suggested I try a service called Meebo which allows you to send and receive instant messages from all the major IM services through one interface. All you have to do is give Meebo your usernames and passwords for all your accounts and let them be the intermediary for all your online interactions thereafter. (Chilling italics mine.)
I'm sure you can figure out why that might pose a problem, but for the naive and unsuspecting, Ray lays it out:
For services like Yahoo!, AOL, and Google, the username and password for your IM service also gives access to your email, your public and private photo albums, your calendar, your address book, and in some cases your billing information and other personal data. This is not information that anyone should hand over very easily.
That's an understatement (which I probably could liven up with some italics). In any event, go check out Ray's column, especially if you want to know his front-runner for the "Greatest Looming Web 2.0 Disaster Award." (Hint: It involves a company mentioned in this post.)
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