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You Lost Some Privacy, Do You Really Care???
Happy Thursday,
This morning, when I arrived at work, opened my browser, I noticed something very strange… my Google search bar filtered the letter ‘S’ and popped up four items that were “security” related as my suggested search. Not a big deal right? To me, it is a huge issue. I use a feature built into the browser that is supposed to wipe out all cache from my internet browser upon shutdown. Now, because I take my privacy seriously, it is time for a short rant on how we as humans are losing our rights to privacy, and how nobody really seems to care anymore.
Privacy 101: In our legal system there are four categories of privacy invasion:
- Intrusion of solitude: physical or electronic intrusion into one’s private quarters.
- Public disclosure of private facts: the dissemination of truthful private information which a reasonable person would find objectionable
- False light: the publication of facts which place a person in a false light, even though the facts themselves may not be defamatory.
- Appropriation: the unauthorized use of a person’s name or likeness to obtain some benefits.
“From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_laws_of_the_United_States”
How do these affect us on a daily basis? Well, intrusion of solitude happens every time we get on the internet from our home. This comes in the form of electronic tracking devices called internet cookies.
“Cookies cannot be programmed, cannot carry viruses, and cannot install malware on the host computer. However, they can be used by spyware to track user’s browsing activities—a major privacy concern that prompted European and US law makers to take action. Cookies can also be stolen by hackers to gain access to a victim’s web account.”
“From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_cookies”
You see from this quote why I erase my data when I shut down my browser. One cookie in particular that I feel should be banned is the “tracking cookie” as it tells advertisers and whomever else programmed it, what internet pages I have visited. Folks, for your privacy, you have the option to disable cookies. Some websites require them as a way to ensure the session is correct, this is seen from financial institutions, shopping cart systems, etc… You can create exceptions for the sites you use regularly, but again, choose the setting that will delete all browsing cache when you exit the web browser.
How else is our privacy being stripped?
Have you noticed an increase of camera systems around your town? I know in Dallas, Texas, many new cameras have gone up at street lights. Now, I am not talking about speed cameras and/or red light cameras, I am talking about regular CCTV cameras. On one roadway in particular, Sam Rayburn Toll way, there is an area between the “Independence” and “Coit” exits where there are about 10 cameras facing in every possible direction (except up). What are these cameras being used for? Have the citizens been told they were under surveillance? I haven’t seen a sign stating they are using surveillance cameras, and by searching www.ntta.org for the words, “surveillance,” “camera,” and “video,” I receive no notification of the use of cameras on that road. Also, have you ever read the terms of service regarding your toll tag? Did you know that a court can request your toll tag hits, and NTTA will provide them? They can track you by your tag locations… Just food for thought!
How about the use of cameras in “Downtown” areas of the various cities around the DFW metropolis? The city of Dallas states that in 2007 the city received a grant to purchase and install cameras for surveillance in the Central Business District, but there is not mention of what the “central business district” encompasses, so, as any good writer does, I contact the city planner’s office, and asked them. They claimed that the “central business district is an undefined area that surrounds the west end, deep ellum, arts district, and the new construction areas on RL Thorton freeway. “ Wow, that is a big district, considering the northern district for Dallas patrol is comprised of a 2.5 square mile radius. Now, at least the city of Dallas notified their citizens (technically) that there was going to be surveillance equipment installed, whereas other cities, such as Plano and Frisco have not notified their citizens, yet have these cameras installed.
Folks, we are losing our right to privacy everyday when we don’t receive the right to vote for the “added security” measures. As a security expert, I am all for the equipment, as I do feel it leads to safer streets for the general public. As a person working on becoming a true privacy expert, I feel it is necessary to allow the citizens of a jurisdiction to choose to give up some of their privacy. Remember, privacy is your responsibility, and it is up to you to choose to give up your right to privacy in order to be more secure.
As always:
Protect your information, protect yourself; Coffee is brewing people, it is time to wake up!!!
Are you really the victim type???
Good Tuesday Morning,
I spoke yesterday to the psyche of someone who is motivated to commit a crime. I wrote that justification plays a large role in the mind of a criminal, and how motivation reaches across racial and socioeconomic lines to affect all persons. Today, I show the flip side to this. How is a person motivated to protect themselves?
A criminal’s motivation will almost always out trump our motivation to protect ourselves and our property. Crimes in America more often than not involve someone stealing something to turn it into cash. With that being said, we must be motivated to protect our property. We must see that being robbed or having our house broken into can be stopped. I motivate myself by knowing that the price I paid for my car or my flat screen TV is not the price the insurance company will pay to replace either item. I tell myself that the people who are trying to steal from me are just trying to feed their drug addiction. Yes, I do have to lie to myself to motivate myself. I know that in some cases a criminal simply steals something so they can eat or feed their family. I can’t allow sympathy to come out for poor people when it comes to protecting my property. I worked hard to get the things I have, and I feel it is necessary for me to protect them.
Justification for protection, is that a phrase you thought you would ever hear? Have you ever been attacked by someone? If you have, you know how much pain is involved. I have been punched in the face; therefore, I know it hurts. I don’t like having a face that is bruised up, I am ugly enough as it is! So I was motivated to learn to defend myself. My friends and I would practice fighting, hell I even took some martial arts classes as a kid. It wasn’t until I joined the Navy when I REALLY learned to “defend” myself. There, the military wanted me to know how to kill the enemy in case I ran out of bullets and my knife wasn’t readily available.
Motivation!
This next paragraph will be a touchy one, but one that must be written to truly convey my thoughts.
Rape is the one crime that has no tangible motivation or justification to commit. The very thought of being raped is one that strikes fear into someone’s heart and soul. A victim of rape often falls into a post traumatic stress disorder situation that they may never come out of. Rape is one crime that you cannot easily forget. Most cases of rape occur with a male criminal and a female victim. Genetics is a key factor for most rape victims’ ability to protect themselves; they are often smaller in stature and physically weaker than the criminal. To protect yourself from this type of crime, you must be able to defend yourself from someone bigger and stronger than you. You must be motivated to learn self defense, motivated to learn how to use either a lethal weapon or less than lethal weapon for your protection.
Side note, you cannot use a Taser or stun gun on an attacker if they are holding you!!
You must be motivated to carry yourself in a manner that shows you are strong; you are someone not to mess with.
Motivation is a mentality that we all must maintain if we want to protect our home, property, and family. Without motivation, or with the, “I’ll get to it later” mentality, we will be beaten by the motivation of a criminal. Crime prevention is the first step to stopping a criminal. Be motivated to fortify your defenses against criminals, fortify your mind and your body with the tools you need to protect yourself. With the first sign of motivation, act on it, do whatever is necessary to fulfill that motivation. The reason we are victims is because we allow the criminal’s motivation to outweigh our motivation. Motivate yourself to take a self defense class. If you are shy, get some friends to go with you. If you choose to carry a weapon of any kind, motivate yourself to learn how to use it. In the simplest form, motivate yourself to fight back!
Protect your information, protect yourself; Coffee is brewing people, it is time to wake up!!!
