For some, the events of the last 20 years have compelled greater introspect and evaluation of their core values and beliefs. Faced with regular existential-level challenges, one must deliberately determine for themselves what's important and in what they believe. These are choices that drive individual action for coping, adapting, and succeeding in a world of fast-paced change.
In the spirit of values and beliefs, Americans vastly underappreciate the right to privacy as a cornerstone to a free and successful democracy.
"Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men."
Ayn Rand
From a historical view, the notion of privacy rights is new. Privacy isn't mentioned at all in the Magna Carta, written in 1215 under threat of civil war, and considered the document marking the primary inflection point for all human rights.
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly mention privacy, though several amendments imply such rights.
Notice that in the Fifth Amendment, the Constitution recognizes the inexorable link between personal information and the potential for self-incrimination.
✓ The stakes to privacy are high, especially when coupled with government ineptitude, overreach, and potential for political abuse.
Sadly, between general ignorance and the booming surveillance economy in the U.S., privacy is under assault across all demographics and sectors. Worse, decades of this abuse have numbed and shaped a couple (or few) generations that hold little or no value for personal information and privacy rights.
✓ If your core values include the individual's right to privacy, be sure to exercise and protect those rights wherever you can.
If you have kids, parents, or others you care about, consider signing them up with TDS for a year.
Helping others think about protecting their privacy and the value of their personal information is important. But give them the tools to do something about it, and you empower them for life.
As we close 2021, one of our main takeaways is the preponderance of cyber-attacks targeting home and office routers. This year, for the first time since 2013, most of TDS' new clients came to us as victims of a router-based attack.
The router is typically the least defended of all internet technology yet holds the most potential for loss. If your personal information is "the new oil," as many say, then your router is a gushing drill. The router is where all internet traffic comes and goes and is the optimal perch for a hacker to skulk, engineer, and optimize an attack.
This year, some of TDS' new cases are extreme examples of how insidious and devastating a router-based attack can be. Hackers skulk for months, and in some cases, years, and often include harassment and stalking with severe effects on the lives of their victims.
✓ The Managed Network Security (MNS) system is the most comprehensive and autonomous solution available for the complete privacy and security of home and office routers and networks.
As we head into the high season for online crime, please be extra vigilant when at your inbox and treat emails suspiciously. Also, as we reported last month, don't be fooled by SMS text, voice calls, and emails orchestrated for credibility but setting you up for fraud. They're getting very good at this, so be on your toes.
Want to clean your computer or set up a new one? Learn to use a password manager or backup files? Perhaps set up your browser or make things flow more easily?
✓ The coaching approach is about learning life-long skills and thinking critically for increased satisfaction, privacy, and security with personal technology.