Personal Property, it’s not yours to take!

Maddy E

Smith, T. (2018). Don't Steal Art. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/@titusmith/dont-steal-art-98ea1f78d839

Have you ever had a sibling that steals all your stuff, from toys and food to phones and the tv remote? Unless you’re an only child, that seems to be quite normal in most households. But the worst thing that can happen is when you don’t get your belongings back, or you never get justice for these crimes!

Personal property is defined as property that is movable. Basically, anything that has been gifted or that you have purchased is yours. And these items, along with not so physical objects such as your ideas, etc., can be stolen. However, these days, a lot of personal items are out on the internet. I’m talking about your data. Photos, phone numbers, emails, addresses, and anything else you’ve put up on your social media page (on anything on the web) is free for people to take. You had to be careful with hiding your chocolate at the back of the fridge, but now, you must be careful with what you put out onto the internet.

I’m sure you’ve seen the cybersafety video of that British girl Becky who posted photos of herself to MyCite, then a man, named Simon, started messaging her, pretending he was 13. He knew her email, what she looked like, where she lived, what school she went to, where and when she would hang out with her friends, and how old she was. He, as well as girls from Becky’s school, stole her photos and changed them. The girls bullied Becky and Simon stalked her. This was an example of being safe online and not upholding human dignity. You can watch the video HERE.

This happens in the real world. In 2017, 16.7 million people had their data stolen in America. I know this is not America, but the stealing of your possessions, physical or not, happen all over the world from anywhere in the world.

Although this next example is not the best, it makes sense. When I was in primary school, Pokémon cards were very popular. It was all fun and games, until one student started stealing other’s cards out of their bags. He disregarded any respect he should’ve had for his fellow students and ignored the overall consequences. This went on for a while, up to when the teachers stepped in and banned them altogether. Everyone was very disappointed, but the boy responsible never got the blame, just everyone else. This is similar on social media. A group of people can take your photos of yourself, change them and post them anonymously. Rumours can spread, and nothing can be done with it. A handful of students in my grade were victims to this breach in human dignity.

You shouldn’t be the victim, and you definitely shouldn’t be the one to blame. I’m sure you won’t go stealing the bank details of someone from in Russia, but if you go and pay no attention to your friends or other people’s (who you know) dignity, and share anything that belong to them which may start rumours (or worse) you will pay the price. Let it be from your friends, your family, your classmates, your teachers, or even yourself.

The best way to prevent this is to not get involved. If you know this is happening to someone and you let is pass, you are saying that you are okay with this behaviour. Stand up for others. If you are the victim, go tell someone. Again, if you let it pass, you’re saying it’s okay. If you know someone who is not respecting someone else’s dignity, make them stop. Go tell a teacher or talk to them. Don’t be afraid to make things right. 

FlipFlapDox. (2020). Don't Steal Me Sticker. Retrieved from: https://www.teepublic.com/en-au/sticker/7602570-dont-steal-me

To conclude, I want you to know that stealing is not okay. Keep your personal property, including your data, to yourself. “Lock up your gold” as my brother used to yell. I don’t care if you stay on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, etc. (in fact, I hope you do), but just be careful about what information you let free. Don’t turn your back on doing the right thing.

If you want to post a comment, try not to leave much about yourself behind for others to take (if you do, I know you didn’t read this blog 😗)

If you aren’t sure about your safety on social media, check this out.