OPSEC and the Internet of Things (IoT) (America, best, river)
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It is exactly thinking like this - along with the 'I'm not doing anything wrong, so why should I care?' point of view - that enables more of this technology to enter our lives.
There is something called "privacy" that trumps all of that. You don't have to be doing anything wrong. There don't have to be enough of 'them' to monitor us 24/7. The fact that the technology is in place, is enough to warrant concern. We are entitled to our privacy in this country, and it's exactly thinking like that quoted above, that leads to complacency and a lack of situational awareness. With such a mindset, consumers will not avoid purchasing those items that have the capability to spy on us. We need to spend our tech dollars wisely. Advertisers and manufacturers do pay attention. Complacency leads to more of this abuse of tech.
Even if all they collect is metadata, who says they have any right to do so?
There isn't any privacy. Not any more. I'm very boring, but I'm related to people who used to be "of interest." Still, there's nothing going on around here. I'm not on anyone's short list.
Do you know what the internet of things (IoT) is? Most people do not, and if you are one of them, you need to get up to speed with this. This threat to our security and privacy is massive! If you bring a smartphone, tablet, or laptop into your bedroom at night, your most private activities can be monitored. Even if these devices are "off", they can be remotely switched "on". The speakers can be activated, and the cameras turned on. One teenage boy tried to commit suicide when he discovered that the laptop issued to students at his school, and which he kept in his bedroom, had been secretly monitoring his bedroom activities.
Do you have a TV in your bedroom, or living room? If it is the type that responds to voice commands, it can record every conversation and sound in the room. Same for the Amazon Echo, where "Alexa" will respond to your spoken requests for the weather, the time, who won the Superbowl, or the recipe for salsa. Do you think that "Alexa" does not record everything else? The police do - they now want access to Echo's in the households of criminals.
They know where you sleep at night - even if it's not your "official" address. Both your smartphone and your newer vehicle give it away - even if garaged.
The thread is about our struggle for privacy, when we are not on the Internet, but when common things around our house are. (Well, not my house, I don't own many of those things, and the ones I do are, well, not working the way they were intended...)
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I'm very boring, but I'm related to people who used to be "of interest." Still, there's nothing going on around here. I'm not on anyone's short list.
That might place you with me, on what I call tier three.
The thread is about our struggle for privacy, when we are not on the Internet, but when common things around our house are. (Well, not my house, I don't own many of those things, and the ones I do are, well, not working the way they were intended...)
That might place you with me, on what I call tier three.
OK, I thought it was about the interweb and electronic gadgets for the most part. My mistake.
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
OK, I thought it was about the interweb and electronic gadgets for the most part. My mistake.
...
Well, to be fair, those are the things that cause us to have to struggle.
I just want to make it clear that we aren't talking about surfing habits and farcebook.
Just having a mailbox is a problem. You can have a PO box or mail forwarding, and they still know where you are. If you have a bank account you're dead in the water. You can send cash to a relative to pay your bills, and they'll still find you if they want to. My husband had a friend who was military, then FBI, and finally Homeland Security. I've been looking for him for a few years. I can't find him, but someone knows where he is. He's a very interesting guy.
Just having a mailbox is a problem. You can have a PO box or mail forwarding, and they still know where you are. If you have a bank account you're dead in the water. You can send cash to a relative to pay your bills, and they'll still find you if they want to. My husband had a friend who was military, then FBI, and finally Homeland Security. I've been looking for him for a few years. I can't find him, but someone knows where he is. He's a very interesting guy.
They know where you are because you own your house or rent your apartment in your own name. You put your utilities in your own name. To rent a PO Box, you need to show proof of street address. Ditto for a UPS store mailbox, or a storage unit. And if you get packages at home from UPS or FedEx, you're on a public list. A bank can be less of a problem. Even drivers licenses now have to be mailed to a street address, not a PO box. All of these things generate a public record, and internet brokers make money by collecting your info from public records.
There are ways around all this, and your Homeland Security friend likely knows some of them. I am still discovering more of them. Nobody knows where I sleep at night. Even if they follow my truck tags via satellite, the truck is not registrered in my name. The property is not in my name, nor the propane service. My mail is addressed to a business in Florida, who mails it to a business in 4 other states. I'm giving you a hint right there - live your life as a business. Own nothing, control everything.
All that said, you STILL don't need to invite Alexa or Rhoomba into your home!
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