I'm going to start this off by saying that I am NOT a cybersecurity expert. I know a lot of things about a lot of things, but security is one of those blindspots for me.
That being said, I still follow that space when it comes to end-users and how people can best protect themselves online. Things like using password managers and multi-factor authentication. Hosting a tech podcast and running your own internet infrastructure kind of dictates doing that at bare minimum.
Lately, I've had to step up my game. This, of course, is due to my political organizing and activism.
Over the course of my career as a system administrator and technology commentator, I have come across many horror stories about businesses and individuals who fall victim to cyberattacks of all kinds.
Now, while the companies are going to spend most of their time worried about lost profits, the people are left holding the bag. Be it employees or customers, their data is left floating in the wind. It is yet another feature of capitalism:
We, the people, are EXPENDABLE!
While we could focus on the malicious actors who are acting out of greed (or boredom), there's another group of people I'd rather take aim at. And, you guessed it, it's the capitalist class themselves.
There are whole companies that exist to not only find ways to steal your data, but to sell that data and the methods to acquire it to government agencies. I'm talking ways to unlock your phone, steal data as its trying to communicate with a cell tower, and even install a virus on your device without you having to click or download anything. All you need to do is merely receive a text message. Not READ it! RECEIVE IT!!!!!
Unfortunately, the bad news doesn't stop there. While there are efforts from other companies, security professionals, and the community at large to protect us, these companies will just build better tools to surveil us.
The best thing we can do now is what we've been doing in the streets: building community. We need to look to each other to help store and secure our data. Instead of relying on nameless, faceless corporations, we should rely on each other.
Building community also brings about another type of security, though. We've seen it play out over the past few months. It's the physical security and safety in numbers. As the State continues to bring physical violence to our loved ones, whether through institutions like ICE or by proxy by those who religiously comply with the system, we have shown up! We stood in solidarity with our brothers and sisters. This can also be achieved digitally.
We should not have to live in fear of what the ruling class has done and will do with our data. I believe we can and shall find the perfect middle ground between cybersecurity an digital sovereignty. We should not have to worry about prying eyes as we go about our lives.
We could look to places like the European Union and the work they have done to protect their citizens. However, that shouldn't be and isn't good enough! Politicians can only take us so far!
We, the people, not only need to hold these companies accountable for our data but take hold of that data. Not just ours, but access to public information. To gate our personal information while making private data public.
We need to open the doors, take what is ours back, and open that which was kept from us!
We need a more secure, open source revolution!