Most people are unaware of how much information they unknowingly give away online, leaving them vulnerable to those who collect it. Tracking individuals using modern technology is incredibly easy, making it very difficult for anyone to avoid detection. For former intelligence officers, social media has become a "spy's dream," allowing them to build detailed profiles in minutes or hours—a task that once took weeks of resource-intensive, analog work in the 1990s.
The Scope of Data Leakage
With the vast amount of data available in the digital world, finding information about someone is often just a click away. Simple resources are highly effective in building a comprehensive profile:
Public Records: Information from birth, marriage, and death registers can be used to trace family members and spouses, expanding a simple search into a wide net of connections.
Social Media Profiles: Users voluntarily offer up details about their work, relationships, views, activities, and hobbies.
Simple Leverage: Cyber attackers can use seemingly innocuous public posts to gain trust and extract more sensitive information. For instance, a tweet complaining about a water outage confirms a user's location and service provider, which can then be used in a phone call for social engineering—pretending to be the company to ask for account details like a postcode.
Who is Spying on Us?
When considering who might be gathering this information, the threats are varied and should be evaluated based on the personal risk involved:
Law Enforcement and Intelligence Agencies: These entities may be tracking individuals depending on their activities.
Social Media Corporations: These companies are definitively tracking users, as we are their product.
Political Activists
Cyber Criminals and Scammers
Simple Strategies to Protect Your Privacy
You don't need to be on the run to want a bit of privacy. Taking conscious control over the information you share is crucial, as once data is online (even a complaint tweet), it is difficult to ever fully take it back.
Limit Smartphone Exposure: Your smartphone is a "little spy phone." To prevent it from tracking you, consider turning it off or leaving it at home when possible.
Manage App Permissions: Go into your device's settings and review the privacy settings for all your applications. Disable unnecessary access for apps that don't need your:
Location 📍
Microphone 🎤
Camera 📸
Photo gallery 🖼️
Use Old Technology Strategically: Consider using an old "burner phone" just for phone calls, or an old laptop paired with privacy software for general use.
Avoid Giving Real Names on Public Wi-Fi: When logging into public Wi-Fi networks at places like airports or train stations, which often ask for your name, provide a different first and last name. You will still be able to use the network without giving away your real identity.
Make Conscious Decisions: Always pause and make a conscious decision before taking an action online. Ask yourself if you are comfortable with that piece of information potentially being shared, seen, and retained forever.
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