By Jabbi Wallihd Goostacka for Missive News
Last Updated: 1:05 PM 12/15/06
Calling it a Streak of Bad Luck Reddit admits that they had stolen from them database information on users, including usernames, passwords, and possibly email addresses.
How the information and media was stolen, by whom, or for what exact reasons the management of Reddit has apparently declined to comment thus far.
But they have released the following statement.
On a separate note, we want to make you aware that media of ours that contained
a backup of a portion of the reddit database was stolen recently. Although the
media did not contain any personally identifiable information about our users
and we have no reason to believe that reddit data was the target of the theft,
we wanted to alert you to the possibility that your username, password, and --
in some cases -- e-mail address may have been compromised. If you use the user
name and/or password for other purposes, we suggest that you change them in
those other uses as soon as possible -- just in case.
We take your privacy
very seriously, and deeply regret any inconvenience this unfortunate incident
may cause. We do feel confident, however, that because we do not collect any
personal information from our users, the ability to do harm with the data that
was taken is greatly reduced. Nonetheless, we decided to inform you right away
so that any necessary precautionary measures can be taken.
As a result of this series of unfortunate events Reddit.com has decided to undertake a series of security reforms. These reforms, both strenuous and functional in nature include the following: keeping a better personal hand grip on business media when walking to the nearby gas station toilet, not yelling out loud phrases such as, “Hey Bob, throw me that PDA will ya, no, not that one, the one with all the passwords and email addresses on it…” not playing Dufus and Dingbat on the same computer on which personal data is stored, not shipping important business documents by “Ho Chi Minute Express,” no longer failing to understand that the Geeks who constitute the majority of their userbase have never had a date and therefore know far more about computer security than they do, not spray painting graffiti symbols of user emails and real names on city sidewalks to see if anyone can “match them up,” and of course, refusing in the future to believe in the Bad Luck Fairy. Reddit.com has decided instead to place their faith firmly in the stick figure drawing.
We wish Reddit.com all the best in their new efforts because Geeks and Nerds and other such magical creatures can be a very accepting herd on a whole range of personally untidy issues, such as: losing wars, late term abortion, Richard Dawkins, cloning, Nancy Pelosi, and of course, Global Warming, but please, please, please, puh-leeeese… do not compromise their on-line security.
A person has to know where to draw the line sometime.
© JWG, Jr. 2006
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