[Music] Faith and Tech Bytes with Amy Lynn
There are a lot of people and companies promoting VPN's for privacy. But there are a lot of online companies that don't accept users who use VPN's. While VPN's may help with cybersecurity, they may end up creating you a nightmare. You may be banned or blocked from loading certain websites. And for those who do work at home jobs, you may be using such things as SavvyConnect, YouGov, Nielsen, or Amazon Shopper's Panel VPN's or Proxies. These companies are tracking your usage of the internet and pay a small amount of money for spying on you. If you go and try to do some market research such as a focus group while using these previously mentioned apps you could end up banned for breaking the terms of service. These companies ban them for a good reason. While you may think it's fine to be tracked and be paid for it, it is not secure or wise. No amount of money should be worth you allowing your digital life to be tracked.
Now you may be asking what does this have to do with faith? Simple. These VPN's or Proxies are digital masks you wear online. People have been known to wear masks online and off. They may be pretending to be something they aren't. They are either lying to the world or lying to themselves. You need to be careful when doing this. As Christians we aren't to lie. And as a decent human being we should have a moral code not to lie. Walter Scott said, "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!" If you are trying to spare someone's feelings, instead of lying you could say such things as "I'd rather not discuss that." Or "Let's talk about something else." Sticking to the facts as closely as possible you can simply say such things as yes, or no. If the other party isn't satified with your reply you could admit you aren't comfortable with the topic if that's the case. You shouldn't feel pressured to lie or discuss a topic where you feel the desire to tell falsehoods. If you do, there could be an underline issue you may not be aware of.
Leviticus 19:11: "You shall not steal. You shall not deceive or speak falsely to one another."