Privacy, personal information, and government powers.
Hi there,
In the coming weeks and months, TDS will be looking for clients willing to provide customer testimonials. We'll use the testimonials in a due diligence package for an upcoming stock offering and begin crafting our message for marketing and advertising campaigns. You can find more information at the end of this letter if you are interested in participating.
On Privacy, Personal Information, and Government Powers
In late 2020 we began to see an emerging trend - new clients and others reported terrible experiences with cyberstalking and harassment. Our Diane has been involved with each case and compiles her observations for a report from us to follow.
In the meantime, it seems the stalking fever is catching on with governments around the world. The fact is our privacy and personal information can be used as the fastest route to inflict a government's plan, whatever that might be, and it's a race to monitor, collect, and control as much as they can.
Sadly, events in April took us a few more steps down the road of this unnerving trend.
On April 1st, a new Russian law that requires devices to have Russian software installed was made effective. President Putin says it's to help his country compete against other software makers. As conspicuous as the date of implementation is, this is not a joke.
On April 13th, the Department of Justice Tuesday granted the FBI powers to remotely access computers to remove viruses from vulnerable versions of Microsoft Exchange Server software.
On April 23rd, China created a mandate requiring streaming platforms to collect personal data and swiftly handle "bad information."
On April 27th, the Biden administration announced it would seek $80 billion to empower the IRS with extraordinary access and tools to monitor the financial activities of high earners.
On April 29th, the IRS announced it is looking for help cracking crypto-wallets. As Nicholas Weaver, a senior researcher at the International Computer Science Institute at UC Berkeley said;
"It seems like overkill. A choice of 'Either give us the password or rot in jail for contempt' might be sufficient."
✓ Everyone wants tax cheats to get caught and held accountable for their crimes. And we want our enforcement officials to be as equipped as they need to be to get the job done - but without invading our privacy and civil liberties.
The $80 billion plan includes:
A multi-year commitment from Congress so the IRS can hire enforcement staff to ramp up audits with less risk of lawmakers stopping such an initiative midway through.
The change to the information-reporting rules would give the IRS much more information about business income as it decides whom to audit.
The plan creates an enormous flow of information that the IRS would have to learn how to manage, use, and secure.
Democrats, who have been building political support for a significant IRS expansion, welcomed the proposal.
Congress will have to weigh the potential burdens and privacy concerns against the revenue gains as it considers the plan.
Does anyone believe the money and powers of an emboldened IRS won't weaponize the agency in some shape or form? In this political climate, the stakes are high that it will, and it won't be the first time. In 2017 the DOJ required an apology from the IRS because:
"... it is now clear that during the last Administration, the IRS began using inappropriate criteria.
"The IRS’s use of these criteria as a basis for heightened scrutiny was wrong and should never have occurred.
"It is improper for the IRS to single out groups for different treatment based on their names or ideological positions."
Above from the DOJ settlement with the IRS, October 26th, 2017.
"The power to tax includes the power to destroy ... this is not to be denied."
Chief Justice John Marshall commenting on the DOJ settlement.
✓ The notion of a cyber-empowered Internal Revenue Stalker balancing privacy and revenue to pay the federal government's out-of-control spending is frightening.
And now, from the school of thinking that says, "What doesn't hit you in the head, bites you in the ankle." here's the near-term outlook for cybercrime.
The Next Few Years in Cybercrime
In 2021 cybercrime is costing an average of $16.4 billion a day. According to Cybercrime Magazine, if cybercrime were a country, it would represent the third-largest economy in the world behind the U.S. and China.
The report claims:
Cybercrime costs will reach $10.5 trillion by 2025, up from $3 trillion in 2015.
“I would say that the risk that we keep our eyes on the most now is cyber risk.”
April 11th - Fed Chairman Powell on the greatest risks to the economy.
✓Reclaiming, owning, and protecting your privacy and personal information is imperative for security and safety today.
Home Internet Routers and Networks
We've been saying it for years - the home and office internet router is a primary point of failure for privacy and digital security concerns.
Now, an exhaustive scientific study proves it and the results are worse than even I imagined.
First, the router is nothing more than a computer. It's designed for a specific function but it's a computer nevertheless. Routers are a target of attacks because they're connected directly to the internet and are on all the time, 24/7.
With this in mind, look at the alarming results of the study:
✓ At TDS, we work with home and office internet routers every day. We know the ins and outs of which systems are best and how to secure them. If you need help picking a new router or have privacy and digital security concerns with your internet network, reply to this email and we'll help you out.
✓ To test the vulnerability of the network you are on right now, take the 60-second ShieldTest, here.
Privatizing the Home Internet Router and Network
The answer is like so much else in the quest to preserve privacy and avoid cyber risk; privatize.
Privatizing means reclaiming personal information and carving out greater autonomy from Big Tech. Choose, own, and secure your own router to:
Keep the bad from getting in from the internet.
Anonymize your information as it goes out to the internet.
✓ There is no better comprehensive solution for home and office network security than Managed Network Security by Total Digital Security.
Customer Testimonials
As mentioned at the top of this letter, we're seeking volunteers to provide testimonials about their experience with our products, service, and people.
The testimonials will be anonymized, of course, and used for due diligence purposes on our stock offering. Also, we're hiring a marketing agency to help develop our brand and build strategies for growth - a first for us. Client testimonials will be helpful in many aspects of our plans.
✓ Reply to this email or contact me if you are interested.
Hackers love it when you use any of these easy-to-guess phone passcodes
"The following list of some of the most easily guessable passcodes - almost 30% of all iPhones that are cracked are locked with one of these 20 passcodes. Needless to say, if you use one of these, change it right now:"
April 3rd - bgr.com
Chrome tracks you even when using DuckDuckGo
"This is a problem for most users who expect at least a certain amount of privacy even when using DuckDuckGo on Chrome."
April 2nd - Makeuseof.com
Private details of 500 million Facebook users offered online for free
"A leaker says they are offering information on more than 500 million Facebook Inc users - including phone numbers and other data - virtually for free."
April 4th - Reuters
PDF Files in Phishing Have Skyrocketed
"From 2019-20, we noticed a dramatic 1,160% increase in malicious PDF files – from 411,800 malicious files to 5,224,056."
April 6th, Palo Alto Networks’ researchers
The Extortion Economy: Inside the shadowy world of ransomware payouts
"It’s a corner of the criminal underworld that has seen explosive growth. According to a report by Chainalysis, the total amount paid by ransomware victims increased by 336% in 2020 to reach nearly $370 million worth of cryptocurrency."
April 6th - CNBC
How to Cover Your Tracks Every Time You Go Online
"Every time you go online, the terms you search, the links you click on, and the decisions you make are being logged and tracked in all manner of ways. But it's possible to cover some of those tracks—or to not leave any in the first place."
April 12th - Wired Magazine
Online Theft of 401(k) Savings
"The U.S. Government Accountability Office urged the Labor Department to better protect retirement plans against cyber theft. Those who work in the retirement industry have said there has been a recent rise in online theft of both 401(k) participants’ personal data and savings."
April 16th - The GAO
Costco Warns Customers About 13 Online Scams
"The company posted 13 screenshots of "prominent fraudulent emails, texts, and posts" that Costco says are currently circulating the internet."
April 21st - Fox Business News
Ransomware Extortion Demands are Growing
"According to analysis by cybersecurity company Coveware's Quarterly Ransomware Report, the average ransom payment in the first three months of this year was $220,298 – up from $154,108 in the final three months of 2020."
April 27th - ZDNet
French Government Plans to Monitor Telephone Data and Browsing Activities
Jean Castex, Prime Minister of France, plans to submit a bill requiring telecom firms to monitor users' telephone data and website visits and use AI for information mining and analysis.
“The objective is to gather as much data as possible,” said Bastien Le Querrec, a member of the litigation group for French digital-rights group La Quadrature du Net. “That is the definition of mass surveillance.”
April 29th - maltawinds.com
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