Pony Talk > Off Topic

Banking, Paypal etc.

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Beth3346:
i would mostly worry about it being remotely turned on if it got hacked. so covering it when you're not using it is a good idea IMO. i've had people think i'm overly paranoid. but supposedly cameras and microphones are fairly easy to hack

Artemesia's Garden:
Yes I've absolutely heard this can happen! Some people don't seem to want to worry about things if 'everyone is doing it' however I feel more inclined to make my own decisions and support anyone else who does too, especially nowadays. I've noticed a kind of 'land grab' going on over privacy recently. I feel as though companies are constantly trying to see how far they can push it and so are criminals. I hate the feeling of being exploited, which is one of the reasons I don't like using these banking apps etc.

Beth3346:
yeah i think a lot of people hop on the bandwagon of new tech. i don't necessarily think you have to avoid it but it's important to know what you're getting into. i wish companies were more transparent about what they are doing with my information. as far as banking goes i stopped using the apps because i use a password generator and i don't have a password manager app on my phone. also if i lose my phone i don't want someone to be able to get into my accounts. i just log in on my computer.

i think the most important thing is to check your accounts frequently to make sure everything looks good. also keeping good records. my grandmother never owned a computer or a cell phone and her checks were stolen from the mailbox. so it isn't just digital fraud unfortunately.

i do think you just have to weigh the pros and cons. smart home tech can be really helpful to some people. it just needs to be set up in a way that is less easy to hack. like for cameras i like the idea of a doorbell camera so i can see who is there before i actually go to the door. but i don't want a camera that sends data to law enforcement or shares my wifi. so creepy!

we had cameras in and outside of our last house because it backed up to a park and our neighbor was always creeping around our door. (the houses were connected) we feel like the privacy trade off was worth it. we could turn the inside cameras off when we were home. or just unplug them.

the smart speaker Alexa, google home things scare me. i will never have one of those unless someone makes one that isn't trying to advertise to me. same with smart locks. when we looked for rental homes there were quite a few listings that bragged about the smart home capabilities. but i want to know who has access to data of when i go in and out of my house. it already bothers me that my landlord has a key. my last landlord always called me darling and sweetheart which really bugged me. i'm more upset about people i know IRL having access to my data than a company that wants to send ads.

all in all i don't think we're necessarily at a crisis level for privacy. you probably don't need to be freaked out all the time. i don't want to come off like a fear monger :) it's important to be careful and really weigh the pros and cons. but i don't think you have to swear off technology.

as a general rule if it's free they're probably selling your data. it would be much better if there were more laws that required companies to disclose how they are using data.

also i'll repeat use 2 factor auth if possible. gmail, facebook, twitter, instagram, paypal, dropbox all support authentication apps. these require a code from an app you install on your smart phone. it's unique to your phone and can't be duplicated if someone gets remote access to your device. it's a bit of a pain but it's way more secure than SMS based 2 factor auth. i'm also looking into https://www.yubico.com/why-yubico/ which is a physical device that you plug into your computer or phone and doesn't rely on a smart phone.

lovesbabysquirmy:
great points Beth

Artemesia's Garden:
Thank you Beth. The Yubico sounds really interesting too.

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