With a peeping tom about town, and celebrity photo accounts recently hacked, it’s easy to be disappointed in humanity. We shouldn’t have to worry about whether doors are locked or information protected online. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world, and we need to take precautions to protect ourselves, our homes, and our privacy, online or otherwise. This means locking doors when we sleep or leave home. It means remembering that everything that is online, regardless of the people it is intended to reach, can be hacked or shared. Be careful where you post online, who you send it to, or where you store such sensitive information. This especially applies to passwords, banking information, and social security numbers, which if stolen, can result in very serious consequences.

But the responsibility can’t lie solely with the victims of privacy violations. We need to be respectful of other people’s privacy — very basic golden rule principles apply here. We wouldn’t want our accounts to be hacked, or our residences broken into, so we shouldn’t engage in any of this behavior or encourage it by sharing others’ sensitive information. Be considerate to our fellow citizens.