OK, so Ive been reading up on the recent explosion of outrage over the Facebook Messenger TOS which appears to give way too much access to a persons cell phone. I read the article that is at the heart of the controversy and started making replies but its been shared by more and more friends so I figure I will just post to me wall and hopefully everyone can see it. As a disclaimer I have no special knowledge of the situation, however I do have a wider perspective of internet security and personal information security for that matter. Here was my standard reply to the sudden flurry of privacy concerns about the Facebook Messenger App Pretty much the general thing is that if you use the internet, ever, on your computer or phone you are completely vulnerable to anyone who really knows how to hack in. Right now the tizzy is Facebook but it clouds the real issue which is that there really is no such thing as privacy as long as you create a connection to the outside world. If someone has your real name and a few minor other pieces of info to weed out others with the same name they can purchase every bit of info on record about you from companies charging a whopping $50. Everything from your social security number to more intimate life details. These companies are shut down when discovered by authorities but are generally based in countries which are out of the reach of prosecution and new ones spring up as fast as old are put to bed. Your browser uses your search history to tailor ads and the search engines you use the most learn your search habits to better find information for you. The sad truth is that we have really given up personal privacy not by being forced but by throwing the doors wide open by choice. The real truth is that the privacy ship sailed many years ago unless you leap off the grid entirely. It was the price that we have paid for life to become easier and more convenient. This completely ignores the more complicated issues of things like the popular use of Cloud storage. Which is about the easiest way to give away your own information ever devised. Willingly give files to some server whos physical location is usually completely unknown to you and just trust that the info will not be sold, given, or stolen from this mystery server. Yes the TOS and Privacy policy give you some legal recourse if they are violated, but generally they mean nothing if the company sells itself to another company or goes out of business as the company you made an agreement with no longer exists and your information falls into the cracks. Nearly every app you place on your phone and many programs on your computer are gathering info and you need to choose to trust them or not. If you want the technology to adapt to you to serve your needs more smoothly the sacrifice is your life details. If you are really concerned about keeping your every detail private, you need to read the user agreements completely (the same ones we all tend to just mark the check box on and hit download) and fully understand them before allowing anything onto your phone, computer, and every other device you connect with. People are even starting to make their houses smart so they can access everything from the thermostat to the door locks and lights from a smart phone or computer. If you can access it remotely so can a tech savvy hacker. Let that stew for a minute. Finally if you are really terribly concerned about your privacy you should look into companies which monitor use of your personal info to prevent identity theft as there is a reason why they have come into being. Privacy in this age of technology is a myth. (Look into the info that your smart fridge is gathering on you :P ) In the comments I will link a few articles on the issue...
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 07:54:35 +0000
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