A couple of days ago, I found some photos on my computer of me sitting at my computer. I didn’t take them.
Facebook chairman Mark Zuckerberg tapes over his laptop camera. So does former FBI Director James Comey.
So should you.
Hackers trick us into clicking innocent-looking links on our computers that allow remote access. Young women are particular targets of these creeps, but we are all vulnerable.
The expression “the privacy of your home” is outdated. If you have a computer, Alexa, even an Amazon account, it’s very possible your personal data has been compromised in some fashion.
I recently abandoned my blog after my virus protector detected it was infected by malware from Russia and other nations.
Do you like to track how many miles you walk or steps you take daily? So do I. So do some life insurance companies.
According to The New York Times, John Hancock recently offered a fitness tracker to customers. If you accept, the company can see how active you are, how much you sleep and whether you live a healthy life. How thoughtful!
Then it can adjust your premiums accordingly. God forbid, you get sick and can’t exercise for a while.
Meanwhile, I’ve heard rumors that a number of men have been known to visit the occasional porn site. Most would prefer that their particular proclivities remain private, and not passed on by hackers to their bosses, friends and relatives.
When your doctor asks you to input your medical history and medications on the office’s online portal, it allows you easy access to vital information about your health. Unfortunately, it also allows hackers the same access.
When I saw those eerie photos of me on my computer, I put a Band-Aid over my laptop camera. But Band-Aid solutions don’t help when we’re bleeding information every moment of our lives. We need leadership that takes this threat seriously. Because it now threatens both our personal privacy and our democracy.
We have a president who doesn’t seem concerned in the slightest about Russian hackers disrupting our 2020 election. Congress seems behind the curve on cyberthreats as well.
We are being overrun by cyberroaches, both foreign and domestic — and our exterminator isn’t taking any calls.
Follow playwright Mike Vogel at @mikewrite7.
