Data security is at a level of importance today that is much higher than it was 15-20 years ago, and yet there are still many people around the globe who don’t exercise enough caution and take the necessary steps to make sure their snesitive information is secure. More than just personal computers and work terminals inside businesses, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices all connected to the internet and are at risk of various attacks and malicious software distributed by hackers. It isn’t the end of privacy as we know it, of course, and this is much in part thanks to many of the companies behind our devices that do their utmost to try and secure our data. Google’s two-factor authentication, for example, is a good way to keep your Google email accounts and your Android devices secure. Monthly security updates to patch newly discovered bugs and security risks also help to ward off attacks.
Companies like Silent Circle are also doing their part to keep personal information just that, personal, with their offering of devices like the Blackphone and Blackphone 2 that are built around the idea of privacy and security. For those that aren’t aware, today is Data Privacy Day, and Silent Circle is celebrating by raising awareness of the occasion through the distribution of a documentary called “The Power of Privacy.” In this video (which is about twenty-nine minutes long, but well worth a watch) Guardian Journalist Aleks Krotoski travels around the globe to learn and discover more about data privacy and how we go about it in the modern age.
The main purpose of this documentary was for Aleks to see how privacy of individuals and businesses alike is handled both in today’s times as well as what it might be like in the future. Throughout the experience Aleks intentionally puts out personal information to leave a digital footprint and see how easy it is to get hacked and what kind of information is possible to be gathered through various means. In her exploration of personal privacy in the 21st century digital age, she is met with challenges that many of us likely interact with quite commonly and consistently. While there are many people who take their personal privacy seriously, there as just as many if not many more people who don’t. How we protect ourselves and what we choose to make public are important factors, but perhaps more important is what people can do to take back their privacy once it’s already been exposed and what steps might be taken to prevent future risk.
