Privacy is a myth
Many years
before most companies and consumers were even aware of cookies, spyware, and
other internet privacy issues, governments and technology firms were developing
methods to use this information in the name of national security and monetary
gain. Over time those methods of have
become increasingly sophisticated. The
scope and reach has grown so broad that it begs the question does anyone truly
have privacy anymore?
The following video
clip discusses the recent infiltration by hackers into some of the largest
retailers in the United States in a successful effort to collect personal and
financial data. The clip also provides
some tips to consumers on how to better protect their personal data. While taking these additional steps can
certainly reduce risk, do they really keep your personal information protected?
As
technology has evolved, Privacy Laws [1]
have been updated to encompass more scenarios that warrant action to prevent
violations of privacy. However, it has
been consistently demonstrated over the years that there are always groups (private
corporations, governments, hackers, etc.) who are comfortable breaking these
laws. For the moment let’s ignore the
legality and morality of these issues and focus on the capabilities.
Is there anything they can’t see?
Many governments
are currently deploying software that is [2]
“…capable of stealing documents from hard drives, snooping on video chats,
reading e-mails, snatching contact lists and remotely flipping on cameras and
microphones so they can quietly spy on a computer’s unwitting user.” With the advancement of wireless phone
technology, these same capabilities exist in that arena as well. While you may be thinking this only happens
to people who have something to hide, you may want to keep reading.
Another
example demonstrating just how far governments are taking this technology comes
from Edward Snowden, a former member of the CIA and NSA, who has disclosed a
large number of top secret documents detailing the ability of various
governments to spy on private citizens.
One document [3]
shows how Canada’s electronic spy agency, Communications Security Establishment
Canada, used the airport Wi-Fi to, “track
the wireless devices of thousands of ordinary airline passengers for days after
they left the terminal.” This document
further indicates that, “The Federal agency was then able to track the
travelers for a week or more as they – and their wireless devices – showed up
in other Wi-Fi ‘hot spots’ in cities across Canada and even at U.S. airports.” Using the same methodology they could also
track where those people had been prior to their arrival at the airport.
Think about
the number of places that have “hot spots” and you can quickly see that there
is a large grid constantly collecting metadata for every person with a Wi-Fi
enabled tablet, wireless phone or laptop.
This data provides a relatively detailed view of your individual social
patterns and eliminates the privacy (which is really only a perceived privacy
at this point) that many people value.
Sleep with one eye open
While this degree
of data collection and use is currently a government initiative to help
maintain national security and provide local law enforcement an edge on crime,
this could easily become a powerful segmentation and marketing tool in the hands
of private corporations. With so many
firms collecting and dealing in “big data” across the world, it is likely just
a matter of time before this information is readily available to all companies
for a price. In either case, if you are
high-profile target or a private citizen with nothing to hide, your data is
being collected and has been for some time now.
The power to watch you, listen to you, and track your movements is a
reality. Consider that the next time you
are walking through the airport, eating at McDonald’s, enjoying your morning
Starbucks, or just surfing the web at home.
[4] (Still Image) http://owni.eu/2011/05/12/e-spying-state-sponsored-intrusion/
[5] (Video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIh1K6MU5vs
No comments:
Post a Comment