MAMEWorld Forums - The Loony Bin - Re: And that's why I don't use Chrome

That's oxymoronic because privacy isn't meant to be shared otherwise others will know what is supposed to be private.

I'm more concerned about how big flash drive capacities are getting and how they're easy to lose. You'd think that more people would be encrypting them with TrueCrypt. And how about portable hard drives for that matter? Anyone can walk out with over a few terabytes of stuff!

The sad fact is that the average person knows nothing about how their security can be compromised online and how much of their information gets leaked time and time again. I recently found out my dad's Yahoo! account got hacked and I had to teach him how to create and use secure passwords. I think of my dad and know that there are thousands out there just like him.

Even worse, the major corporations (Google, Micro$quish, Apple, etc.) have no incentive to give users the tools and knowledge to lock down their devices. It's as if it's all buried or marked as "only for tech geeks". And this is basic computer stuff!

Sadly, in my dad's case, I have done what I could to show him where I get my computer know-how from (been doing this since '84 on x86). I have my books and took the time to educate myself. Today it seems like most people who get hacked don't want to learn how to avoid the problems and take action to not just prevent the hacking but also to ensure what data is precious is baked up. And a "cloud" is simply vapor.

People think I'm a computing genius. I'm not. I just have the years and mileage. Now and then I code a program or use tools to make information access easier for everyone. Let's just say that I think like a hacker and see how systems can be exploited by examining for weak points. It's that ignorance concerning our little hobby that the outside world exudes in wanting to appear "trendy".

It's nothing until you see the end result of a close one's hacked account and have to break the news immediately and let them know how serious the problem is. And my frustration is when that person doesn't want to learn further in how their own hardware and software works and just sees it all as just a mere appliance. That apathy is the very reason why a TON of hardware out there is infected and breached daily.

Again, I can only do so much. I can't spoonfeed anyone 24/7. Eventually they have to learn to feed themselves or get fed upon. To me it's the ultimate insult when that person with the hacked account refuses to read up on how to prevent those breaches again. Very frustrating. But I've done what I could do. They're free to fail as well as to succeed. Only in this case it's as if they want the hackers' to win again and again and blame others just to stoke that chronic victimhood.

I just hope one day my dad starts reading those books in which I've placed bookmarks on the sections to read first so that he can learn from his mistakes. Since he stores everything on Yahoo! and is clueless on how to use his flash drive (again, provided by me) he has to learn. And I don't want him to get hacked again.

Again, I think that there are industries that profit from people like my dad. And that just pisses me off since I know what's going on and, despite my vocabulary and skills in general, I feel as though I am merely one sane voice of reason but he doesn't want to do the right thing and look through my window.

If there was a perfect world people would learn to digitally sign their messages, know how to anonymize their connections, secure their browsers, use on-the-fly crypto, etc. The tools are there. But the masses just don't care to educate themselves.

Apathy and Ignorance: Those are my two prime enemies.

--Bekki

Combating functional illiteracy with latex-clad drama since the '80s, because old video games rule!