In the spirit of Halloween...

The other day while killing time on Facebook, my roommate sent me a chat message that contained no words, but rather a single URL link. I responded back asking what the link was, but when I didn't get a reply I figured I would check it out for myself. The link read "takethislollipop.com," which I found to be a rather curious name, and when I clicked it I was brought to a webpage that had no pictures or words other than a big, blue lollipop in the middle of the page with the words "I DARE YOU" written across it. When I clicked the lollipop, a new browser popped up asking my persmission to access my Facebook information. Though this would normally raise a red flag, my roommate and the website reassured me that none of my information would be saved for any reason. I proceeded to click "accept," and a new browser containing a fullscreen video showed up on my screen. What happened next was absolutely horrifying.

No, this wasn't the kind of video that tries to scare you by playing loud music as a scary image pops up on screen. Nor was it the kind that superimposes ghosts and monsters onto real video footage to lead you to believe that they exist. It was far more terrifying than that. This video was my own personal horror story which began in a dimly lit hallway, the kind that would be seen in a scary movie. As the video plays on, you are introduced to a very creepy, dirty (literally) older man sitting at his computer in a large, open room. With his face pressed up against the screen and his eyes frantically darting back and forth, he clicks the mouse a few times and suddenly his face lights up with delight. After a couple of seconds pass, the video finally reveals the reason for this disturbing man's excitement; he is looking at none other than a picture of... ME.

I do not want to spoil the rest of the video for anyone willing to try it out (which I highly encourage). As said before, the website WILL NOT keep any of your information, but if you still do not feel comfortable allowing access to your Facebook (though I think it makes the story depicted in the video more realistic), here is the video using someone else's information:


Though I'm assuming that this video was created more for entertainment purposes, I could honestly see it being a PSA type of video as well. The hypothetical cyber-stalker depicted in this video was creeping on my actual photos and wall posts, and as the video continues, he even looks up the city in which I currently reside. The scariest aspect about this video is that all of the information the video used was accessed directly from my Facebook. All of the information that was available to this gruesome, hypothetical creep is also available to anyone online, cyber-stalker or not. The scenes and images portrayed in this video would make anyone think twice about the information they put on their online profiles.

So, in the spirit of Halloween, try it out using your own information. I DARE YOU.

Sources:
http://www.takethislollipop.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w96xcOtniys&feature=related