[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Pouring privacy like milk into our daily coffee, a dash here and there. The metaphor stops there unless you have a lactose intolerance and you realise that revealing your identity to strangers/companies, under the banner of access or convenience, is actually a little toxic.
Faster Networks talked dating scams and romance fraud here. The conclusion that when people are at their most vulnerable emotionally there are dark corners of the internet that will strike. It will potentially be a slow burn, the very nature of gaslighting, hawl you in, dismantle the guards, open your heart and strike. Steal an identity, money and the unquantifiable system of trust.
Trust is a cognitive assessment according to Brené Brown that also conjures a broad collection of emotions. What we discovered with the ubiquitous online love scams and catfishing is an extraordinary betrayal of trust in a moment of vulnerability which, then leads to a diminishing self trust. Something that sounded and looked and felt so right and then fails spectacularly is a source of deep shame and worthlessness. How could I be so stupid?
What is lost in this self-talk however is that digital fraud is a sophisticated and relentless threat. Telstra’s chair, John Mullen, came out recently to admonish the Federal government ministers for undermining Optus’ claim that the cyberattack they recently endured was sophisticated. MP Clare O’Neil and others have shown hubris in that they think they’re not vulnerable to attack. Hackers are smart and often way ahead of governments and big business in their capability. Any organisation could be targeted and like Optus, have hundreds of thousands of customers or voters on high alert for fraudulent behaviour that chips away at their privacy and therefore their sense of safety and ultimately, trust.
But privacy and, the information collected about us before we even get to talk of a data breach, is used in so many ways and is a somewhat empty promise that companies make in order to get us to sign our data away. Here is an example, a media company that you have a paid subscription for demands some information about you to create an account. The details may be rudimentary but it will inevitably include name, address and payment details. You are assured that this information will not be shared and that it will be protected under the Privacy Act 1988. The same company will go to advertisers and spruik the opposite messaging, we know everything about our customers through thousands of data points, we know where they go, who they are with, what they buy and when they buy it. Does it matter that the company will not share a name to go with the data?
Advertising can be sinister. Advertisers can target you at any time. ‘Contextual integrity’ is a philosophical theory explained eloquently on This Week in Digital Trust, “My ability to maintain different personalities in different contexts. My work identity, my Saturday night identity is different from the identity my parents see.” So when I am out with friends and I receive an ad for a productivity app that relates to my work the value of my privacy is diminished. The podcast goes on to explain, we can lose the ability to make a choice when certain parts of our identity are on display. Our privacy is part of our power and having it exposed is the very definition of vulnerability.
Trust should be valued. It comes at a price. Be careful with who you trust online and make sure they are careful with who they trust too. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Faster Networks help businesses protect their digital assets. We are a cyber security partner that brings the best software solutions that anticipate and fix digital vulnerabilities. Our areas of expertise includes Vulnerability Management, Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR), Application Security, Infrastructure Security, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Protection and Application Pentesting.
Contact us on +61 3 9016 0085 or send us an email to learn
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