posted 08-06-2013 12:29 PM            

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Over the years, I have been hoping everyone's privacy, safety & security would get more private, secure & safe. Unfortunately the opposite is true.

In the past you have heard from me about my concerns with computers and the Internet.

There was once separation between the real physical world and the Internet. And in that separation there was some safety, security & privacy. This is no longer the case. Everyday the blending of the Internet and the real physical world becomes more homogenized.

The public is beginning to become aware of just how serious the Internet stalking & Privacy issues are. Most of the current headlines are about the government. BTAIM, I believe the bigger problem are companies, large and small and the Bad Guys. The government has more laws to abide by and watchdogs keeping an eye out than Corporate America, Corporate America's marketeers and the Bad Guys do. And the Bad Guys are able to hide because the Internet has no borders; the Bad Guys can be everywhere and nowhere at once and thereby escape juridical prosecution.

Where we once could avoid doing things online by going to or phoning a business. In most cases this is no longer true. Chances are the individual you contact at the place of business is interacting with the Internet about your transaction. This is especially true if you use a credit card and/or a discount card, bonus card, membership card. Today most computers (personal devices) do not operate unless the are connected to the Internet and computers are becoming more powerful and ubiquitous. Video/audio security/surveillance is also becoming ubiquitous and it now all runs via the Internet. So with voice and facial recognition getting better and better you soon won't need a discount card, bonus card, membership card because the computer will recognize you and your habits/preferences will be automatically added to your permanent record.

Today more & more stores are figuring out that their profits aren't in the products you buy but rather in selling to others details about what it is you do/bought. Corporate America and Global Marketeers add this info to the info they have already managed to collect about you and your habits/preferences.

Viruses were once a nuisance like graffiti. Today viruses are used by the Bad Guys to silently deliver malware and spyware to your personal devices.

I use the term personal devices because nearly everything we use whether it is a new shirt with an embedded RFID Tag, a new Refrigerator or almost any device, one way or another the item comes with active or passive connections to the rest of the world.

This is a very complex topic and everyday gets more complex. No one will ever enjoy being completely private and safe again. The new goal is to be as private and safe as you possible can be. To do this you need to be informed and to understand your choices and what those choices do to expose you to existing & emerging threats.

Mal intent no longer needs a physical weapon nor does a person need to be physically present to harm you. Please become better informed and take steps to protect your privacy and safety.

I don't think the Good Guys and Privacy Advocates have the resources to fight the good fight. I don't think things will get better unless everyone shares a unified voice of outrage. So tell businesses that they will get less of your business if they continue to track/data mine you. Tell regulators they must do more to set standards to protect your privacy. And to enforce those standards and to prosecute criminal acts (especially internationally).

To begin becoming better informed you might start with the following videos. The first one may be familiar since I have recommended it in the past :

• Gary Kovacs: Tracking the trackers

• Avi Rubin - All Your Devices Can Be Hacked

• Fighting viruses, defending the net

• Juan Enriquez: Your online life, permanent as a tattoo

• Marc Goodman: A vision of crimes in the future

In the rambling thread (not silver) The Internet - Internet stalking - Privacy there are some suggested products that you might used to assist you in a quest to be as private and safe as you possible can be.