Writing assignment 1

Most of the organizations that I give out personal information to are well known, reputable, organizations; such as Amazon, eBay, Fandango, and iTunes. Giving these companies credit card information and billing/mailing addresses doesn't tend to bother me too much. After all, ordering a product online is not that different from ordering by phone from a catalogue. There is still a fundamental element of trust between the two parties. It also helps when the organizations are everyday house hold names, most people trust Apple and Amazon. This, however might not be the case for everyone. My Grandparents, for example, refuse to give any sort of personal information (such as credit card) over the internet. They do not have the same trust in a well known company name.

While using a credit card online does not bother me, I loath to give out my social security number. Even when applying to USF I was weary of giving it out, yet I had no choice. Even though I trust USF, I don't feel comfortable giving anyone my social security number. USF is the only organization I am semi willing to give it out to, unless I was applying to another university and they require it for the application.

I'm not sure that there is so much a distinction between organizations, as it's more of a personal choice. As I said earlier, my Grandparents do not trust the same companies that I have no problems giving them limited personal information. I normally draw the line at my phone number and social security number. There are some circumstances where this is unavoidable, like when dealing with Cingular Wireless online and college applications. But I generally believe that phone numbers and social security numbers are too personal for any organization to have.