This guest post was provided by Nuur Hasan.
If you are the kind of person who is worried about privacy, there is only one technology you can use: pen and a paper (because pigeons carrying messaging can also be risky). If you really want to be secure you should burn down the paper after you have written on it. Alternatively, you can compromise on privacy by a trade-off with modern technology, in a way that we don’t entirely understand.
These days we carry electronic devices with us everywhere we go. There is all the information of the entire world available on it. The device is tracking every move you make. The worst part is you cannot live without it; no one can, not anymore.
Technology cannot be blamed for this though, it may be just another evolution in our lives. Whether technology and its invading privacy measures make us better or worse, time will tell. For now, things can’t stay as they are, a bubble is about to burst.
Are the apps secure?
Encrypted data, anonymity and non-disclosure policy of companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple and others is hardly comforting. That is why more and more people are moving towards VPN trends.
The advancement in technologies and encryption is still not secure. This is due to one simple principal of life; a bigger piece of meat attracts more flies. The data containing our everyday lives’ details is so enormous, so well “outlet-ed” that it has become a gold mine. Most recent case of hackers hacking iCloud accounts of celebrities and leaking their private pictures is another testament to the fact that technology doesn’t make us safe, it makes us vulnerable.
In another case when FBI couldn’t hack into WhatsApp conversations of the suspects in San Bernadino, they turned to a private company in Israel. The company attempted to decrypt the conversation but was in turn hacked. That was good news for consumers worldwide when WhatsApp didn’t allow FBI bullying into sending them private conservation – but imagine Federal agencies going to that length. It is only a matter of time before they succeed.
Edward Snowden has revealed terrifying stories of how NSA is spying on its own citizens using their own webcams!
Not to mention all the Hillary Clinton’s leaked emails drama. It is clear that whether it is the hackers hacking celebrity nudes or agencies doing it for political manipulation; internet privacy of every user is severely compromised.
The term password protected also seems to be misleading. In old days, business secrets, work correspondence was hard to obtain but now, if you are a brilliant startup guy, someone can trick you into revealing (or even torturing you into giving it) and he has EVERYTHING! – A misplaced USB stick can hand over state secrets to the enemy, it really is as simple as it sounds.
Moreover, there seems to be no solution to it. If you think using secure apps is protecting your privacy, think again.
Some brilliant minds at multinational companies are looking to solve the privacy conundrum. If you have an idea or you think you can contribute it in anyway, let us know. We will make sure your voice is heard.
About the author:
Nuur Hasan is a software developer and a political activist, he intends to dedicate his life to the becoming the voice of the voiceless.