In a world where our entire lives are quickly becoming digitized, privacy and security are now essential to being responsible media users and creators. Everything from our finances to our most intimate conversations is vulnerable to being hacked, surveilled, and even sold to the highest bidder.
In recent memory, I can think of two specific, yet different, instances where my security was compromised. Like most people, I no longer carry cash, which means that my primary way of paying for things like gas is through my debit card. Unfortunately, a stop through an unfamiliar gas station while I was traveling led to my debit card being skimmed. I was unaware of just how common these skimming scams are at gas stations, and it left me with the headache of cleaning up the mess after almost $1,000 was stolen from my account.
Another recent example of my security being compromised happened when hackers tried to gain access to my Google account. I received a text message with a verification code from Google out of the blue, which was shortly followed by a second text. This message said that it was Google, and they needed me to text them the verification code I just received. Thankfully I’m pretty skeptical of messages like this and recognized the red flags right away — this was someone trying to fool me into allowing them access to my account.
While our modern devices and internet applications certainly provide us with many useful conveniences, if we’re not careful, we can leave ourselves susceptible to compromise. I’ve learned from my personal experience just how important it is to take responsibility for our security and privacy.
In the past, I have been notoriously awful at remembering to update my current software. One of the changes I’ve been making in my habits is to set auto-updates whenever possible. Keeping my iPhone up to date with the latest iOS, my Mac running on the newest operating system, and even keeping the apps on my phone up to date, setting everything to auto-install any time there’s an update keeps my information safe without the inconvenience of dealing with installation.
Another way that I work to keep my account secure is by using two-factor verification for my passwords. After watching one of my favorite thought leaders lose access to her Instagram to hackers, I finally recognized the need to secure my accounts using two-factor verification. I use the Duo app, which helps me keep track of all my accounts and makes sure they’re safe and secure.
There was an essential lesson in our lecture from Professor Gillmor this week: the internet belongs to the people first and foremost — not to big tech companies like Google or Facebook, and not to the big governments in the world like ours here in the US. The internet belongs to humanity, and we should do everything in our power to keep it safe, secure, and in our own hands.
