Protect Yourself!

What does the Internet mean to you? For many, it represents a communication tool which enables commerce. For others, it may offer a gateway to entertainment. For still others, it may be a valuable tool for unconventional research, a way to learn new things and converse with peers on a vast variety of topics. The Internet is a vast anonymous space where people can put on a mask and say/do whatever they wish with little accountability. As many governments crack down on those that express any disapproval of their government officials, the Internet offers a way to communicate with others and let the truth of tyranny be heard—for those that will listen. Regardless of use, the Internet is here to stay for a while. No matter where you live, no matter your use, there are some basic precautions that you should take if you wish to use the internet. I propose that for this decade, this is in the “top ten” of most important topics in your life.

According to a couple studies, nearly half of the earth’s population uses social media of some kind.

https://backlinko.com/social-media-users

That is an astounding figure, when you consider that large population sections have no meaningful access to Internet access at all. This means that a huge percentage of the west is on social media. Many people seem to feel that because they access these sites from within their home, and their page is assigned to them, that the information posted there is secure. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Why should I care?

I want to present you with a basic theorem which I hope you will internalize and accept: “Once information leaves your hands, you have no control over who ultimately receives it, how it is used, or in what context!”

Information is everything. Your information is how companies identify and transact with you. Your information is everything about who you are, and what you want to do. However, your information has nothing to do with your intentions. Given your information, it is rather easy for someone to open accounts in your name, commit crimes as if they were you, and a long list of other disturbing actions. Obviously, we do not want criminals to get access to information. However, this is usually unavoidable. Just last week I received yet another letter from yet another financial institution which had had a breach, causing the disclosure of my name, social security number, and probably drivers’ license number. That is sufficient information to open accounts. They all followed the ridiculous example of the white collar criminals at Equifax, who after leaking records on half the nation, offered “free credit monitoring”, a service which they actually offer. Ya. Thanks.

https://www.equifax.com/personal/products/lock-and-monitor-credit/

It is obvious that banks, schools, stores, and certainly social media sites will not lock down their sites any time soon, so you can expect that your information is going to get leaked. Expect it. Find a way to deal with it when it happens. Here are some general principles that I would recommend.

• Freeze your credit reports. It’s free, and makes it nearly impossible for your leaked information to be useful to assume your identity. You need to freeze all three. If you decide you want to apply for a loan or allow someone to review your report, you can temporarily thaw your report. Directions are on the pages. Here are the links:

https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

• Use unique, long passwords at every site. Use a password keeper on your computer, preferably one which is free and not cloud based. I have used Password Safe for decades, but there are many out there. This should allow you to set the complexity of passwords. You can then set completely random and unique passwords for every site you visit. My current standard is 20 characters. Why not? I don’t have to remember it.
• Rotate your passwords at least yearly. Yes, that means logging into lots of sites and changing the passwords. That’s why you have the password keeper.
• Don’t answer “what is your mother’s maiden name” questions honestly. When banks, or any other institution ask you to pick, and then answer security questions, they just expect you to answer the same way next time. Your password keeper should have a notes section for each entry. If it doesn’t, find another. Record the question, and the answer you provided. There is no reason to leak information like this, because that question may have been used on another site also. Make up something. My mother’s maiden name was “Oak Tree” for all you know.
• Don’t post anything that you don’t want re-posted, or read back to you in court in a completely different context. Yes, this may crimp your style a bit, but use some intelligence here. You can never delete that nude picture once someone else gets it. You can never “unsay” something.
• Decide whether you really need social media. It would be better if you just logged off. You would probably be a happier and more well-balanced person. You reveal more than you think through your posts. If you decide you really need social media, limit what you post or make available to just what you need for that use case.
• Put meaningful passwords on your wifi, and rotate it at least every six months.

Treat every site you visit as if it were an interrogation. Limit what you share. Recognize that even if this site is your friend, the hacker that takes data from this site is not your friend.

Other Thoughts

I'll leave you with a video I saw from one of my favorite YouTube guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMtrY6lbjcY

I hope this is helpful. Be careful out there!