We need to talk, an open letter to the steemit creators, developers and community.
I have to admit, this platform is revolutionary in a time for information. But there is a line that we need to draw.
There is a reason I wanted to bring this up. Another user on here was absolutely targeted, baited and phished. This user is a friend of mine, but I also realize that this can, will and has affected a lot of people. This HAS TO BE STOPPED.
How many users here understand that their profile also has a "wallet" tab. Most of you? Okay Good! Let us look into this a bit more shall we?
When you go to ANOTHER user's profile, you can still see this tab! Hmm, let's click on it! This is my friend @Nossy. Check out this screenshot.
YOU CAN LITERALLY CLICK PEOPLES WALLETS. Hey Steem Team, ask yourselves, ask your users this one simple question: Would I like it, If I was apart of a community and that community literally grabbed the wallet out of my pocket at any time and helped themselves?
I'll give you the answer, right here for free! I would not like it 100%. I would leave that community quick-smart, there is a massive breach of trust and privacy. It is the same here, no excuses.
Let's go even deeper. If I continue scrolling, I wait and let the website load. I now have COMPLETE access to their ENTIRE transaction history. This is no different from having someone, willy-nilly go through your entire bank statement in the mail.
There are accounts out there that are using names in vain, stalking out potential targets and using these tools against people to take advantage and steal. The latest transaction from my friend's account was NOT AUTHORISED. This access was fished by dropping comments like this:
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Without a doubt, when you click on these links you will be redirected to a 1:1 mirrored Steem website, with some variation. If you're not as quick or cautious, you will find yourself submitting your account details and bam, its all over, red rover.
Here is an exmaple: 
In Conclusion, There is a problem, it needs to be addressed. We as a community have to openly discuss things and work towards solutions. @Grumpycat your infamous name is used in vain. Here is a link to the responsible accounts. @aideedavies @good-kama .
These are just the ones caught. Please be vigilant.
Thats it from me for now! Sorry I've been gone a while! Please check out my boy @Nossy
And as always, Stay Awesome, Til the next time.
Check out my Steem profile HERE!
Great write up! Phishing sites are getting out of control. Seems to be a huge problem in almost all money and crypto related sites these days. I have had some very close calls on a few different exchanges myself...
I appreciate the feedback, thank you @tomthemuss. :) Feel free to "resteem" it to spread the world and share the knowledge!
No worries! Done and done! @kyledavison Im kinda new to steem, but what are your thoughts on the length of time it takes for new people to get accepted onto the platform? I had to wait for 3 weeks to get a confirmation email to let me join steem, is that normal? :l
Perfectly normal my friend! I was fortunate to be accepted within 48 hours. However, I would think that due to the ever-increasing popularity of this site and its concept you'll find an influx of new users! Non-the-less, welcome aboard! I hope this site opens many avenues for you! Ill keep an eye out for you and look forward to hearing more from you on your new journey!
@sindore, Why did you flag this post? Care to weigh in?
Unless of course, you, yourself are a scammer.
Suspicious.
Welcome to Steem @kyledavison.
Do read A thumb rule for steemit minnows - 50:100:200:25 for starter tips.
Spend time reading Steem Blue Paper to know how Steem blockchian works and if you still have any queries ask them on our Ask me anything about Steemit post and we will try to answer that.
All the Best!!!
The whole point of being able to see others wallets, is transparency. And i 100% agree with it, the world would be a better place if everything was transparent. The problem that needs addressing is simply teaching people not to fall for scams. theres nothing wrong with being able to see how much other have, and how they made it, it keeps things honest. deal with it.
I respect your opinion, You're entitled to it.
If you believe that to be true, then you wouldn't have a problem with sharing your internet history with everyone, would you?
What about your online banking details? There are lines that need to be drawn. @ewasteguy1 There is a huge privacy breach here, this is a financial statement. I also do not appreciate your tone: "Deal with it". If you have come here to weigh in, do so by all means. If you've come here to start an arguement than I wont ewaste your time.
the whole point to steem is transparency. which you seem to have a problem with. If you dont like how the site works, dont use it, its pretty simple, dont make a rant and cry article bringing down the site especially when what your complaining about is one of the founding principles of the site, transparency, sure go ahead and complain about phishers, but the fact our wallets are public knowledge, most people joining know this. its in the faq,,,, which you should have read before making an account.. so to complain about something that is a integral part of the site is just uncalled for. it is not steems fault that there is less then honest users... nor is it there fault if you fall for a scam link. its up to you to better educate yourself what to click and what not to click. the faq even warns about scam links and how to avoid them, so again, not their fault you did not properly educate yourself before using the site.
I couldnt careless if you shared my history or banking info with everyone, im actually pretty proud of my banking record. i invested in bitcoin and did quite well, same with my internet history, i got nothing to hide. Generally only those ashamed of something theyve done would care. Im open book and i believe the world would be a better place if everyone was. there is no lines crossed here on steemit, its a great site, and their transparency is the best part, if you dont like the service, your free to abandon using it. steem is based on blockchain and cryptocurrency, the whole movement of crypto and blockchain is transparency so i think you missed something if you have a problem with how this works, and you should have read into things more before joining.
I realize "introduceyourself" was an inappropriate tag, I have tried to remove it, I could not. However, I felt at the time, the tag would travel to new users fast and help lower the potential of them being attacked. :)
I would like the community fully aware that this is going on. Thank you guys! :)