Who cares about my personal information?
Gadgets collect our habits and interests while we increasingly store data online. Cellphones became almost like a part of our body; you may already have experienced that feeling of incompleteness after losing or forgetting it. We don’t like people peeking over our shoulder when we are using our devices. We seek after privacy (at least part of us) in our personal matters. Privacy is not about keeping secrets but restricting access to your data, its dissemination and use without your consent.
I care about online security and privacy
One way to control the access to information or services is by authentication. When was the last time you forgot a password? For me, it happens once in a while, for example, when logging in on a website I rarely visit. Sometimes I don’t even remember having signed up there before. The different password requirements each platform applies makes the life of an average user an ongoing process of access management, creativity, and occasionally a test of patience.
Have you ever tried to log in, and the system decided you should also confirm your credentials through another device or verify your access by email? Some of those emails never arrived in my inbox. I had situations during traveling that my cell phone wasn’t working abroad and it was impossible to get the code sent by SMS.
Institutions struggle to protect my information
All these security steps to keep my information safe can be cumbersome. But I am not alone in this endeavor. Companies and governments are in a battle to keep my information secured. Data breaches happen when they fail to do so. Trying to protect my personal information and see my data leaked by others seems like I am buying an expensive lock for my bike and attaching it to a pole. Then someone takes away the pole, ignores the lock and steals my bike.
In critical data leakage cases, we may deal with blackmail and reputation damage. These incidents affect not only you. Criminals can scam your friends and colleagues by using your personal details. We have seen what this issue has caused to governments, companies, and people; lawsuits and embarrassing public announcements.
Enabling people to check where they stand
New attitudes will take place when users come face-to-face with the fact they already had their credentials or devices exposed. I am part of a team that has been encouraging people to find out how third parties have treated your assets. Understand how healthy your email, network, and devices are. Go to Badrap.io to take care of those.
