privacy

Fear

Fear

Fear mongering about "privacy and identity theft" is largely industry hype designed to break into your wallet. I am not saying that identity theft doesn't occur, but that it occurs in ways that aren't made safer by using software products sold to protect your privacy. Nor does it usually occur from your computer. Relax.  Here's all you need to do:


    a. Treat EVERY call or prompt to call a company that you do not initiate, as a scam. Hangup. If they pose as a financial institution, find the phone number yourself from the company website, not Google, not your caller ID. If you are being made to feel anxious and it seems like an emergency, you are moments from being scammed. Hang up. Continue your day.
    b. Give out your personal information as little as possible online. (this is key)
    c. Learn how people voluntarily give their identity away.
    d. Setup your credit or debit card to send you a text for every transaction.  
    e. Make sure your anti-virus and firewall is current and effective (see above).

Privacy

Privacy

Privacy - The Edward Snowden leaks about the NSA confirm that we have none. Nothing you do on the internet should be considered private, period.  At some point in the near future ISP’s and others will probably start making encryption software available that is easy enough to use for the average person. Until then assume that anything you communicate through the internet may someday be released by someone disgruntled.
A possible scenario is that a hacker or a government worker will release a large amount of illegally collected personal emails to make a point about how much info the government actually collects on it’s citizens. It may happen, because that is the only thing that will make the seriousness of the issue real for the average law abiding citizen who thinks they have no reason to worry if they are not breaking the law.  

If you really want to communicate secretly, some people use Signal or other encrypted apps and set their messages to disappear after a day. I can’t guarantee that saves you if you committed murder or if Saudi Arabia hates you, but it is probably secure enough for secret love or melodrama.

To become fully sober on the topic of how YOU, in fact, are the online product being sold, watch the movie the Social Dilemma.

My friend Zeke wrote a great post about simple ways to protect your privacy.