Lock yourself up

in Galenkp's Stuff2 years ago

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Surveillance technologies now available - including the monitoring of virtually all digital information - have advanced to the point where much of the essential apparatus of a police state is already in place.

- Al Gore -



You're being watched and tracked and almost everything about your life is documented and retained in...well, I'm not quite sure exactly where...but I know it's happening. It's happening to you and I and virtually everyone one the planet; it's pretty much unavoidable, even if one does not maintain much of an online digital presence; someone is always watching.

I recently had a meeting with a company operating in the surveillance space, aerial surveillance, tracking, modelling and mapping specifically, and the meeting (which I'll not talk about here) made me think about it from a personal perspective...being watched and tracked.

If you have a mobile phone you can be tracked and listened to and if you send or store data digitally it can be compromised, taken, altered, disseminated and stored...or all of the above; I think we all know that, but I think few know (or maybe care) about just how intrusive surveillance and tracking of individuals can be. Most probably cover the camera on their laptop computers (or should) and we mostly don't disseminate personal details like credit cards, passwords, date of birth and so on (or shouldn't) and we maintain basic security over our personal lives but is it enough? I don't think so...surveillance capabilities go far beyond such simplistic measures.

I'm bemused by people who scatter their personal details all over social media (for whatever gain they feel they get) which is like throwing fuel on an already burning fire; It'll not go well at some stage, one only needs to investigate how many people are compromised around the world, and to what degree, to know that.

Recently there was an attack on an Australian business by Russian hackers and many thousands of customers' details were stolen; I was one of them and still get hit by scammers on a daily basis because of it. Most of those attacks are rather sophisticated and it takes constant vigilance to ensure I mitigate the risks. This, from a person who is reasonably aware in this regard, I can only imagine what it might be like for people who are not as savvy. And yet, that risk notwithstanding, people are willing to push their information outwards seemingly without care or thought for the possible implications.

The reality is that people are either not aware, overwhelmed by risk mitigation techniques or uncaring...they feel safe behind a thin veil of security but at the same time send their data far and wide.

Take people on Hive for instance, hiding behind a little username...it's laughable really, a façade of security and anonymity because, in truth, they have none because their lives are tracked, gathered and retained literally every day; nothing is secure or secret to those who know how to get what they want...your government, hackers, criminal networks...they know who you are and your information is not secure. But that username makes people feel safe and secure...even though they simply are not.

It was interesting to see how invasive and thorough surveillance is and I'm sure I was privy to only a small part of it in that meeting. There's no getting away from it and a person's mobile phone/tracking device and the internet are the most useful tools those gathering information have...and probably the two areas people are most careless with.

We all have methods of maintaining security over our information (or should have). I don't think many of you would use some of the techniques other highly-security-conscious people might but hopefully you have a plan which you stick to and apply some caution.

It could be as simple as using a secure messaging service like Threema and an encrypted email like ProtonMail like I do. I also don't have Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and for some of my communications use a burner phone which was activated using a prepaid SIM (which was then discarded) and is now only used over public WIFI with an encrypted messaging service and left off at all other times...that helps it to be less trackable. Extreme measures? Nope.

There's other things like password protocols, misinformation and misdirection, VPN's and many more...but I wonder what you think and do when it comes to your personal information-security.

Are you one who tends not to give it much thought or care? Do you think a Hive username is enough to give you anonymity (it isn't, by the way), do you use VPN's and encrypted message and email services like Threema, Signal and ProtonMail also? Are you free with your information or do you work towards guarding it? Are you one of those people who think no one would bother tracking your life...you'd be wrong if you think that. What's your deal and how do you lock yourself up from a cyber and personal-security-risk perspective?

Feel free to comment below as I'm keen to hear about it and if you have any cool systems that help you maintain your security please feel free to share them.



Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp

[Original and AI free]
Any images in this post are my own.

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I try to be careful what I put where to be as safe as I know how.

I also know, there is no such thing as truly secure. There is always someone somewhere that can get what they are after.

I realized a few years back that I was not really in control of any of the stuff. My bank put a loan application (yep.. everything on it) in an inter-office envelope and that was the last they saw of it. That was a good number of years ago and nothing bad came of it, but still....

Then a store called Home Depot was hacked and I got a letter alerting that limited info was taken.... but.....

Then I got a letter from my power company, Duke Energy that the online company they use to take their online payments was hacked..... again, limited info taken.... ummmm yeah....😏

THEN one of the three credit record keeping companies was hacked.... you know, one of those companies that gather's everyones info without their permission so other people can check their credit history if the person wants to buy something ?? Yeah.... one of those. Now, who should be better protected???? Thing is, it appeared from later reports that THEY neglected to do some sort of update that caused them to be vulnerable and it almost looked like it was saying they hadn't thought they needed it, not that they were not aware it was there to be used.

.... and they are still in business !! What tha ?!?!?!

So far, I have had nothing happen (that I have seen) that went wrong because of any of these, but for sure it seems no matter what I do myself, it doesn't really matter ! Still.... I continue to try to do my best not to make stoopid mistakes of my own. If the bad guys get something of mine and abuse it, I want it to be someone else's fault. ha ha

Hello there Jace, good points indeed.

Our information is already everywhere and we're reliant upon those companies/governments/storage facilities being secure which, as we all know, they are not. We had a case here where bales of un-shredded financial /personal documentation ended up at a dump...blowing around in the wind for everyone to pick up and see. Did heads roll? Nope.

Lolled at, limited information taken. Yeah right Duke Energy. That's code for, they got fucken everything! That's probably the biggest security risk for people, third-parties with our information. Of course, I don't think people need to add to the risk by disseminating their information all over the place, selfies, where they are, who they're with and so on.

You're lucky you've had nothing happen yet, I hope it never happens. I've been pretty fortunate and with this latest hack to that company the biggest problem for me has ben the frequency of the scammers by text, email and phone. I don't know if you remember that post I did about scam callers and how I got a whistle to use when they didn't take my polite dialogue about not being interested in what they have to offer...anyway, I got to use it the other day, long and loud blasts down the phone...It was glorious. I hope some ear drums started bleeding.

I'm bemused by people who scatter their personal details all over social media (for whatever gain they feel they get) which is like throwing fuel on an already burning fire; It'll not go well at some stage, one only needs to investigate how many people are compromised around the world, and to what degree, to know that.

I have to admit, in the past I have freely used my full name everywhere. I rarely give other details (except my birthday). I've started to think using my real name everywhere might not be the best idea. For me, I don't worry as much, but for my children? Might be better to make tracking me at least a little less easy.

I do always use a VPN and I have it set to randomly connect to a different country every time I use it. I'm sure people who really want to can still easily track me, but it's a roadblock to more casual tracking.

But yeah, I kind of assume anyone who really wants to track me or learn anything about me can do so. Nothing is hidden these days. I just hope to make it difficult enough to track me that people who aren't so serious about it give up without really trying.

Full name and DOB? Yeah, I'd be changing that for sure. You know, I don't even use my real name in business. Sure, the company has it, my full details of course, tax file number, address, DOB, drivers license, pretty much everything, but no one knows my real christian name other than HR. I guess I do that as a sort of distractor to those with nefarious intent. It's interesting, I also have friends who don't know my real name.

The VPN is a good idea and I do the same but realistically, there's so many places that have all our details as @jacey.boldart pointed out, that we're at the mercy of them despite our own risk-mitigation strategies.

Here, we had a telco get hacked and thousands had to get new drivers licenses arranged (the company paid). I had a lot of my own stolen as I said, along with many many thousands of others...It makes me wonder about the little strategies we each have in place and why we bother. Of course, like you say, it's best to make it a little difficult, even if it just gives us peace of mind.

I hope they don't watch me when I'm in the bathroom. There's a lot of weird stuff going on in there. Sometimes I go with my cell phone to read in the meantime... 😜

You take your phone? Ok well you're definitely being watched. Maybe they'll make a reality TV show of it. You'll be famous.

I have little doubt people could figure out who I am if they really wanted. I also have no false ideas that my data isn't already out there kicking around. I am guessing several databases with my info have already been breached. I don't think Al Gore gets the credit he deserves. He was the butt of a lot of jokes over here, but he seems like a pretty in tune fella to me.

Yeah, you and me both. In fact, a few people on Hive have tracked me down in real life and that's ok. I mean, I can take care of myself so if someone on Hive who meant me harm knocked on my door...well, I'd probably welcome the opportunity to deal with them you know? In truth though, that's unlikely to happen. That said, there's plenty of people out there who one wouldn't want knocking on the door...or sneaking into personal information. It's all a bit worrying but there's really little the average person can do about it.

I don't know much about Al Gore, some but not all the ins and outs. I liked the quote though, and felt it was relevant. Didn't he own the company that made the MRE's for the military during one of the Gulf Wars? I might be confusing him with one of the other chaps.

It's possible. I honestly don't know much about him either, I just know he seems to have had some good viewpoints, but he made some comments that stuck with him and he was never able to get past that I think.

I think many politicians have valid points and opinions. I also think many don't get them across well or they lose credibility elsewhere so everything they say seems like rubbish. Some probably deserve the bad name they get, some maybe not.

It definitely seems like there are more bad ones than good ones over here in the US.

Yeah, here too...our Prime Minister just wasted $400m on a referendum that was never going to succeed...oh well, it's only money right? Idiots, most of them.

Convenience. This is what pushed humanity to where it is right now when it comes to surveillance, control, and ownership. As you said, we willingly gave em our data so we would have access to facebook(keep connected with our dear ones abroad), instant messaging, online shopping, and so on and so forth.

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I'm thinking of buying a new battery and a charger for this thing and put a prepay SIM card in it(in Romania you can still use one witout having to register with names and shit), but the messaging apps that I'm using like Telegram and Signal will not work on it.

Neither will I be able to constantly check on Hive or the crypto market by using such a phone either. I don't even know if mobile networks in here still have support for 2G networks anymore...

A couple of years ago I was telling a guy at the gym that I don't use whatsapp or faceook because I don't like their orwellian policies and his reply was: who the heck is tracking you...

A few months ago he got to jail for some shit he was doing and the police had all his convesations with the ones he was involved it(whatsaspp messages, sms, facebook calls, everything).

Very few tackle such topics and very few are aware in what direction is the world being pushed. Many prefer to act like sheep, and that's probably why I'm so often called a conspiracy theorist and other shit. I do question a lot of things coming from state and private institutions.

I have a twitter account, I use Brave browser on my phone and my laptop, and I only communicate through Telegram and I mostly use cash and crypto(crypto debit cards actually). I'm somehow half covered/half exposed, but at least I try my best...

Oh yeah, now there's a good example of how phones are used to track etc. I mean, it's not like we're all out there doing criminal things but it's a good indication of what's possible. So much more too...if people knew they'd throw their phones into the sea.

I think, trying our best is the best we can hope for and doing something is better than doing nothing even though that something if probably largely ineffective. There's many out there not taking the time to prepare/protect themselves not just with digital things but in general too...I call them targets or victims.

Edit: I had one of those phones you pictured. Back in the day. Lol.

This Nokia hasn't ever been used. It stayed untouched for probably a couple of decades. I don't have a charger for it anymore and the battery is definitely dead but I'm thinking of buying a new battery and a charger and see if it works...

The battery had a drainage which makes me think it's not working anymore. I would like to turn it on one day and even put a sim card in it.

Operating on a non-smartphone would be impossible mostly I guess, however it's certainly more secure. I hope you get it working...do a post if you do and feel free to tag me.

I'm not planning to make it my daily driver but I'm curious if it's still working and how will it feel having a Nokia working phone again.

I never had a problem with the Nokia's I had, loved them. I had a BlackBerry too, the first of which was so awesome. The second was good to, but not as good as the first. I miss my Nokia 8210 and BlackBerry Curve 8900.

I had a Blackberry Bold for a while but I don't remember the exact model. It was bold indeed.

Certainly we are all tracked and not only by the internet, by the mere fact of existing, having a phone, a job, even by the birth certificate, they already know that we exist and tracking is inevitable, especially by governments and large corporations.
I don't think there is an infallible and totally secure method.
They listen to everything we say all the time, what we type on our computer.
So far the only thing they can't know is what we think, but as soon as that thought becomes words.... or text, it's unstoppable.

But most of the world doesn't even realise that and doesn't care. Already at this point it is inevitable.

What you do is look out for the people next to you, the common people hahaha but at high levels, I think there is no escape.... soon there will be a lot of zombies.

even those who don't use the internet are being tracked.... it's like one of those futuristic or sci-fi movies. What people don't know is that those movies were just a preview... The Matrix is here.

We thought internet was going to make the world a better place. We were wrong. Just like the devil what he doesn't know is our thoughts.

Do you have risk-mitigation processes in place? It's a dangerous world to live in without I think.

Yes it is a dangerous world .... if I know and use one especially for messaging so that my IP is not tracked, my brother is a computer technician, has helped me learn some things. Do you know the Tor network?

Yeah, I know Tor...it's smart of you and is something at least...far better than nothing at all.

The online world is sometimes more atrocious than the real world.... there are terrible and dark things. Those who dominate the world want to control everything. That's how it is.... getting out of the matrix is not easy and often you can't even talk about it except... face to face.

The truth is that the moment a tiny bit of our information is online, we have given access to anyone who would want to track it.

I am sorry that you and others got hit and that you face those scammers, too. It isn't a pleasant thing. This is why I don't blame those who still have and make use of burner phones or even quill on paper. I'll like and even work on a burner phone when I am finally settled. It is one thing among others that I plan on getting.

Nothing can be deleted online even after you've deleted it for years. It can still be restored. That's how strongly technology is moving now.

There's so many ways for people to lose control of their information, most of which happen without a person's knowledge, but so many people willingly put their information out there too. I wonder about you...What's your strategy which it comes to online and real-world security for your personal information?

Though it is sad to know that I am being watched, I always love an extra with a top extra layer of security. This is why I don't just let out my information online. I keep it minimal and stick to the practice.

I really am an ambivert, though I feel my introverted side is much bigger than the other. I love my privacy both online and offline. Truth be told, the first thing that bothered me and made me stay off Hive when I first got in was an introductory post. The fact that I needed to introduce myself was scary that I had to take those months off to think. Lol, you should see me then.

It can be confronting to share information online for those who are security-aware. Many have aliases they use, I know I do; a little misdirection can make things a little more difficult for those seeking to infiltrate someone's data, but (unfortunately) as soon as one is connected to the internet there's a risk and most people have no way to guard against it.

It sure is confronting. I am always not enthusiastic when it comes to sharing personal matters online. I find it disturbing. And making use of aliases always do the trick. Though the internet world advancement is always mind-blowing.

Nooooooo! Are you telling me that people actually know my real name is not Buckaroo?! Shock and horror.

On a serious note I think most people either do not care. Or. They think it's too far fetch. Call it a conspiracy theory if you will. It's easy to hide the truth behind that label. Few take a conspiracy theorist seriously. I find it extremely invasive and controlling (frankly, it's quite scary) that we are so minutely and totally surveyed.

You're probably right, a mix of don't care and unbelieving that it'll happen to them...but it can and will. It's very invasive and most don't know the full story of just how deeply it goes. Like I said, almost everyone is findable, made easier by the amount of information they share. Bonkers that people put so much out there.

Part of what astounds me about the random information shared is exactly that. Random. Who cares what you had for breakfast, lunch and supper today as opposed to yesterday as opposed to tomorrow (and by "you" I don't mean you) The people who really can add value are more reserved

I know what you mean, it doesn't make sense that people feel they have to share those sort of details. Who cares? A cry out for validation of course, that they don't get in any other way; a sad state of affairs I think.

It's impossible to stop - generally by the time people realise how much personal data they have shared over facebook, instagram, linkdin, gmail and all the others, it's already too late. "They"'ve already profiled each one of us in a neat little file with red flags and points of vulnerability and stowed it away for later use.

If you want to see just how bad it really is, look up Jack Rhysider on youtube and have a listen to some of his shows. If any of us are trying to beef up security now, it's very late in the day. Like you say, for those of us that will die before the real dystopia hits, it will probably be a blessing.

I agree, people are seeking...umm, I don't know what, and they feel they will find it through the vehicle that is social media and other people's accolades rather then the old fashioned way of seeking and finding within oneself. So, more and more information gets shared and more collected. You mention LinkedIn. I remember the good old days when it used to be about business and now...it's gone full-nutbag...and not in a really great way I like have.

I don't have time for YouTube mostly, but I know the type of thing you're referring to and have my own sources for it. As I mentioned in another comment and the post itself, we're all tracked and collated even if we don't go on the interwebs, just having employment, going to school, hospital, getting a passport, drivers licence or credit is enough. Once the floodgates open it's too late.

Anyway, I'll be dead and forgotten in the not too distant future, as will many others...It'll be for the poor souls left to deal with. I'll be a fucken ghost....or in hell.

Unfortunately, it is true, we are exposed to more and more ways to be tracked every day in our daily lives.
I am quite conscious of it and put in some measures as using a VPN, encrypted messaging and email services, and so on, but it is hard to keep track of all the ways you can be tracked as there are huge corporations behind the data, as well as more and more hackers trying to get money out of us using scams.

People prefer to live without thinking about it, and I believe you can not get too obsessed about it, but ignoring it is not the best way to go. I believe schools should have a digital security class to let everyone be aware of what they are exposed to.

I figured you'd be on top of it, but I agree that it's impossible to keep up with it from the tech perspective and probably financially too.

I liked your point about digital security lessons in school...along with financial lessons as well I think, but they seem to want to push other agendas and churn out...well, I don't want to get into it but let's just say I believe they're on the wrong track.

Yes, financial and fiscal lessons, most people do not even know the basics about their personal tax duties. There are so many things schools should teach.....

Yes. A very good point you talked about.
We are always tracked.
Nowadays we need to be careful of every single application. Whenever we download or install a new application they first ask for permissions. And we ourselves allow those applications to access our personal data.
Some of us don't even look at what that application is asking for and just permit everything they ask for.

I am really careful about that. I usually keep my personal data like pictures, videos, documents (anything which is important to me) in a separate USB. And I feel safe in that.

The rise of the smart phone caused so many issues. People keep their whole lives on there, photos, passwords, banking and all...it makes everyone an easy target. It's good that you're so careful.

There has never been a secret between two people. The two are you and your smart phone. The gadgets are smart at breaking secrets.

Hmm I guess if I am not someone significant... People might not want to spend the effort to track me down, even with data freely available from all the surveillance tools. Haha gonna stay low profile! :P

No one may wish to physically track you down, but there's plenty of people out there interested in your information. Low profile is the way to go.

I think I'm free with my information even though i probably should guard it but i think someway they will manage to get our information in the end.

Only way to keep ourselves truly protected is to cut ourselves off from the internet that would be the best way to truly lock ourselves up but in this day and age can people really stay off the internet stay off Wi-Fi and be disconnected with the world.

think someway they will manage to get our information in the end.

Indeed, although I hardly feel putting it out there ourselves is warranted just because the wrong people might get it anyway. I err on the side of caution.

I don't think cutting ourselves off from the internet is even the answer to be honest. Everything about us is recorded anyway, Birth, school enrolments, hospital and doctor visits, employment history, banking and finance, marriage, traffic infringements, airline travel and that's not to mention public CCTV systems and facial recognition. Whether you're on the internet personally or not, your life is recorded digitally and available to be hacked.

Indeed, although I hardly feel putting it out there ourselves is warranted just because the wrong people might get it anyway. I err on the side of caution.

Ya exactly. We need to be cautious what we do or put out there.

I don't think cutting ourselves off from the internet is even the answer to be honest. Everything about us is recorded anyway, Birth, school enrolments, hospital and doctor visits, employment history, banking and finance, marriage, traffic infringements, airline travel and that's not to mention public CCTV systems and facial recognition. Whether you're on the internet personally or not, your life is recorded digitally and available to be hacked.

You brought good points here but some of this stuff is unavoidable. I guess that means the only way is away from internet and living alone on an island with nobody nearby? That would cut out most of the stuff you put out there except the birth unless someone gave live birth with no hospital. I guess it would have to be the next generation if some family decided to go to some random island with nothing . Then their kid could live a life fully protected from their information protected since nobody outside of that island would know the kid existed? Then I guess you could say maybe a satellite from online can see them lol but then this just never ends.

I agree, totally unavoidable which is why in the post I said that people have a very thin veil of security. I actually don't think it's possible to live these days without being on the grid, at least in most countries. Sure, maybe you get born under a tree in the Amazon, get raised by wild animals and swing through the trees, but generally people are not. So, being on file is something everyone has to deal with.

I guess this post was more about the unnecessary sharing of information people do on social media. You know, I did a weekend-engagement topic once and someone responded with a full picture of her credit card, name, number expiry date and all.

I followed a link on someone's Hive profile today...the information I found would permit that person to be located inside of an hour quite easily, and in only minutes if a professional agency was involved. And for what? What does that person gain by putting it all there? An ego boost if it gains a follower or upvote, and maybe not even that. You know what I'm saying?

People are enamoured by their own legend and think people give a fuck...but people don't...well, the people seeking to track and collate information are...and that happens every second of the day.

I guess this post was more about the unnecessary sharing of information people do on social media. You know, I did a weekend-engagement topic once and someone responded with a full picture of her credit card, name, number expiry date and all.

I don't think I saw this post but this case does make it worrisome if there are a group of people that didn't think of the possible consequences of sharing something dangerous to expose like the credit card. I think there was a case where someone was streaming and they got they accidently showed their keys for a second and he got all his funds lost. I think I've only shared stuff in my posts that I felt comfortable sharing which I think is photos of myself and even my location.

I followed a link on someone's Hive profile today...the information I found would permit that person to be located inside of an hour quite easily, and in only minutes if a professional agency was involved. And for what? What does that person gain by putting it all there? An ego boost if it gains a follower or upvote, and maybe not even that. You know what I'm saying?

For this, I have no idea. we would have to ask that person? Nowdays though there is this mindset of trying to be popular or what we call "influencer" and they really put themselves out there and doing this does help attract a following I think.

People are enamoured by their own legend and think people give a fuck...but people don't...well, the people seeking to track and collate information are...and that happens every second of the day.

I think this has always been the case throughout the history of humans. It's just technology has enabled all this information to be collected and tracked easier. And also to make it easier to tell the world how "great they are"

The more I know what humans are capable of (and I have seen the absolute worst in them) the more I don't like people. However, there's some good ones too and it's those I focus on. You're in the latter category.

Oh you want to go into conspiracy theories. Ya it's crazy where greed and power gets to "people". We are being fed a lot of garbage thru the media but I think people are starting to wake up.

There's a lot of work being done by the good people behind the scenes to have the world the way we have now. I think nobody knows but there's people sacrificing their life (secret agents, top tier assassinate and extract people) to keep the world at peace where people like me and others can live an almost carefree life. I'm not saying everybody but more or less it's like this. Sometimes our biggest problem is figuring out what to eat honestly right.

I do believe in karma though so if there are those humans that choose to do the worst stuff, they will eventually have to pay for what they did whether that be time in jail or other ways.

And thank you for saying I'm one of the good ones. It's very kind of you but I think this should be natural. If we are kind to people most people would reciprocate. I don't see many cases where someone does something bad to a person and the person will return with kindness

It is the reality, and we do not realize it or we are not totally aware of it. In my case I don't have so much concern for security but you have made me see differently the aspect of information security. I am not one to share personal data, but I still have to take more precautions. Thank you for sharing your vision.

It's probably quite difficult to mitigate every risk that exists, but I think it's wise to make an attempt to secure what we can and minimise the amount of personal data we share right?

I completely agree, personal information is serious. We do not know for sure what they can do with it. For my part, I have to learn a bit about encrypted information, I don't know much about it.

It's time of technology when there is invasion through technology. This year ,in my country, hackers hacked the data of prime minister. This is not just the case there are mountains of such cases. I am wondering that in this time of social media you are not on these platform. Many people feel fomo If they don't have Instagram, Facebook and other such applications.

FOMO is something I don't suffer from. I have plenty in my life, more than a person could even want, and there's nothing on social media like Instagram and the like, that would provide any more for me. I prefer to live my life myself, not live it vicariously through others.

Privacy is of paramount importance in our digitally interconnected world. While it's true that achieving absolute protection may be elusive, we can only try to take meaningful steps as individuals to safeguard our personal information.

It's vital to exercise discretion about what we share online, only disclosing what's necessary and not excessive. Unfortunately, determined "hackers" may still find a way to breach those defenses, but that doesn't mean we should give up.

Personally, I am utilizing secure password management tools like 1Password and implementing two-factor authentication whenever possible.

I think, as careful as we are, it's incredibly difficult to have the sort of security one needs to mitigate threats effectively. I mean, some of these companies have such high levels of security and they still get havcked...it happened to the CIA a while back too...so what hope does AK and G-DOG have? Like you say though, we should do what we can.

so what hope does AK and G-DOG have?

Yeah exactly, even the big corporate firms didn't stand a chance with the hackers! 😖

Just pray hard that we don't fall prey to such an attempt because when they do have that desire to target you, I guess there really isn't anywhere to hide 😰

I'm less of a prayer and more of a take action and counter measures sort of guy...although there was one time I prayed that the donut shop would have the double chocolate donuts I loved so much...for the record, they did not and I have to get cinnamon sugar instead.

Seriously though, I really wanted that double chocolate one!

Ok, seriously now...I think there's a lot of luck involved. A hack can happen to anyone, anytime. In fact, many companies are hacked and never even tell their customers about it. That's a fact. Reprehensible huh?

Love your response, crack me up! 😂

In fact, many companies are hacked and never even tell their customers about it.

Indeed, that's precisely the reason we're limited in our actions. Even if we've taken all the correct steps, when our data is entrusted to a reliable organization and they fall victim to a cyberattack, the hard work may be in vain. Furthermore, as you mentioned, we might remain unaware of this breach since we were never informed about the company's security compromise 😓

Anyway can I digress a little and check how you deal with downvotes? One of my post just got downvoted for absolutely no reason, I would like to know what is the reason at least..

Ignore the downvotes completely, making an issue of them may make it worse. It's people's right to upvote and downvote as they please. Put it out of your mind and move on. I have had many hundreds of them and never say a word, there's no point.

Well I can understand where you're coming from but there is this frustration that I still can't reconcile as of now. Wanted to at least know what I did wrong so that I can avoid or it is purely a malicious attack for absolutely no reason. Furthermore it is a downvote with a curangel? That's painful 😵

What a downer to start my day seeing that 😞

I've seen this in movies and I know it will happens in reality. Scary thiings will happen and no one is safe

Yeah it's confronting, hopefully you have some risk-mitigation endeavours in play.

I did not. I'll still had to find out how.

Posted via D.Buzz

because of technology, our private matters are not safe anymore. I know someone who can access messages on your phone without them having your phone.

Yeah, I think that was my point and I wonder how many people get caught out every day, how many suffer loss of information or in some financial manner; a lot I think.

Do you take any measures to secure your personal information?

I don't know how to protect my personal information. Just like how many people know my mobile number and they keep on sending scam messages every day. I don't know how they got my mobile number since I don't share it online.

It's a concern I guess, how easily we lose control of our data and personal information.

true.No matter how we tried to keep it private

I was concerned about this before, but not so much anymore. As you've said we're being tracked and monitored everywhere, and from what we do. I've read that CCTVs also have the capability of collecting more data from facial recognition and car plates, etc. In China, they can track people thru facial recognition and they are updated with the social score of the person. Doing all those preventive things might be nice, but I don't think they are that effective. The technological advancements are already so sophisticated that the only way to be totally protected from them is to literally live under a rock. Even though you are very careful, the Australian business being hacked and your details being stolen shows you can only do so much. Our government agency was recently hacked, and a lot of data were stolen. This is a healthcare organization, and everyone employed are expected to be enrolled in it and paying dues. All our data are pretty much out there with no fault of our own.

Personally, I still try to protect myself, by not clicking links, being cautious of emails, not sharing more info online, etc. I have facebook, twitter and other social media. I don't overly share there, and just use them to get updated with things around me or to connect with friends and family. I know it is easy to get info about me once they really try. To help me sleep at night, I just think that I'm insignificant enough for them to not want anything to do with me.

I agree that it's difficult to hide from; life would be pretty complicated if one was to attempt to avoid all the digital tracking and data collection, still, I make an attempt to mitigate some of the risks and it makes me feel good to know I'm taking the initiative...even though it's probably not all that effective.

I believe it's a little confronting to understand the capabilities that exist now and where they will be in five years...and what will be done with it...but I'm on the way out, I'll be dead sooner rather than later, so those issues will be for those left behind. I don't think the planet will be a nice place to live.

I'll be dead sooner rather than later... I don't think the planet will be a nice place to live.

+1

I know many would look at this statement and think, that g-dog guy is fucken bonkers, (they'd be right too) however it's my opinion and nothing I see suggests it will be otherwise.

I hope you're well mate.

Hear me out. Matrix like metaverse, but you have control over your world. You can be younger, do anything you want, eat anything, etc. You can be in the same metaverse as your family and friends. You will be plugged in a vat where you don't age, and you can visit them in their own world. There can be no pain or death, and you can 'go' anytime you want when you get tired of it.

That was my best take on a suggestion to make you think otherwise. But on a serious note, I get what you mean. The world is getting shittier to live in every year.

Lol, I've been unplugged from the Matrix pretty much my whole life.

Here's the thing, I don't want to be younger, I'm happy who I am. Besides, the world is descending to places I don't want to be part of; it will be a horrific place to live. I've been fortunate to have lived in better times, more simple and times in which certain values were upheld, values I value. These days...it's turning to shit and fortunately, at my age, I'll not be around in 30 years to be living in that shit. This doesn't mean I'm depressed about it, sad or otherwise...I'm a pragmatist; I'll die, it's a simple fact...so I make sure I live fully in every moment I'm given. It seems prudent. You'll die too, so I hope you're living well and present in the moments you have.

I'm not well.

Ah fuck man, I'm sorry to hear that and hope there's an obvious way forward. All the best moving forward and on the journey.

I'm sorry, I don't really have the right words.

:o what's going on?

Hey man, you getting us worried, let's talk

Don't know where to start.

I am also a technology inclined person but I am not into social media platform but I have a social media account. I only use it once in a while or its just for communication . I limit also on what information I share in my social media..

It's smart to limit the information people put out there. Only today i followed a link a Hive user has on his profile and it outlined so much information about him that it wouldn't be difficult or take much time to track him down in real life...an hour or so. Bonkers.

Ohh my ghad. Maybe that hive user is not aware whats happening now a days. If thats me I'm already got scared

Thank you for writing this to our social awareness. I shall be taking some notes and will be using some of your tips.

No worries, it's best to apply some risk-mitigation techniques...a quick search on the interwebs will reveal some of the more effective ones.

Thank you. I shall look into extra ways for the safety because things are evolving and changing so fast in ways we could never imagine before.

I also use protonmail! I also use a VPN, and the FB page I used to have is no longer under my control. They are actually helping my by entering random stuff

I knew you'd have a few strategies in place.

No sense making it easy for these minions!

I sometimes take 10 minutes a day for a few weeks, to enter bogus information on websites. Primary inputted information can't be ignored by these databases. So I'm from 25 to 90, and both sexes; from all 50 states! I guess I need to start adding more besides the two sexes, just to put in politically correct garbage data, LOL!

👍💗🤠👌🎉🤔😁

si es una gran realidad lo que usted dice , hace poco fue hackeada mi cuenta de Facebook donde tenía información valiosa y fotos familiares de 15 años atrás imposible recuperar mi contraseña y aparecía un foto de una mujer desnuda, y así muchas cuentas han sido vulneradas y espiadas sin que nadie sepa cómo

I don't know what this says as I do not read Spanish. Sorry.

Hi.
What are you flagging for.
What don't you like?

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What people do in your closet/privacy may be very diverse all depending on where you come from and your environment. There are things that people do that needs interpretation because some are very weird. Besides why people do whatever they do it is very difficult to understand what they are doing in the first place. In my bathroom under cold water in I have to do a lot of resuscitation before I am clean.Hot showers are a luxury here.

People are very weird, I'll agree with that, and some more than others.