Smart Person’s Guide To Privacy, Hidden Cameras & Winning
▼The Battle Against Covert & Overt (State) Surveillance▼
⬆ 2022 Web Privacy ⬆ +Good OPSEC (Anonymity, AI, DNA Privacy) Tips | Images Hyperlinked
MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS | 2017 EDITION | VOLUME 113
Whether you're a (Chinese) dissident, activist, protester, high net worth individual, high value target (HNWI/HVT), or regular Joe or Jane, more tech or (hidden camera) laws won't necessarily protect your privacy.
Meanwhile, in most cases, facial recognition tech can't be voided. And knowing that alone isn't as helpful as knowing what you can do you can do about them. That is, assuming you're not already languishing under overt under surveillance in countries like China, where the regime installs surveillance cameras outside people's front doors or inside their homes, as needed.
In that case, you need the best security consulting help you can get. But for those marginally at risk, or simply proactive about privacy and security, you need the best VPN you can get, and even better, the best router VPN you can get. Why? Just because of reasons like the below.
Moreover, mobile devices are among the easiest ways to compromise average people, which is why you should pa attention to solutions shared below, including OPSEC insights throughout this guide.
There are of course ways to outfox facial recognition tech that #iTHiNKLabs frequently covers, including top secret techniques I've personally used in undisclosed locations.
There are many well-meaning How-To(s) out there — some of them shared via hyperlinked images and text below — on how this or that privacy setting or reset on any infinite number of tech devices most people really don't need will protect your privacy.
The TL;DR (bottom line) is:
They won't, and in most cases, don't.
Not because in most cases, the device/hardware itself is the enemy.
Just ask the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.
Yet people buy into what #iTHiNKLabs calls: faux security. A delusion that Israeli cybersecurity firms in particular, along with expert hackers (VPN insiders included) exist to competently exploit, for profit. Law enforcement traps that people who practice good OPSEC rightly obsess about, constantly updating their awareness of evolving threats.
Common sense — yeah sure, not very common to most — and the underrated skill of accepting reality will take you farther. Because smart, but radical solutions exist.
A good but unfortunate reality check for cynics is how faux security got both a privacy-minded Princess desperate to flee her father's repressive regime and grip, and the security 'expert' escorting her while reliant on mobile security myth, tracked and apprehended.
What almost nobody tell you is: Security is much more complicated and porous.
That's why if you have bad Social Media Security hygiene, and don't know what Doxing is, it's advisable to click or tap (below) sooner than later. The two go hand in hand.
Many on Social Media were at the time of publication fixated on #MeToo and #TimesUp while women in India were assaulted and raped daily, nobody tells women about the one threat MORE tech and business-driven than it is security-driven. A secret camera porn problem with the law ALWAYS steps behind. A silent, digital, cyber stalking, sexual harassment menace to their data privacy. And by extension, their dignity.
This is long-form content. And for those with the attention span of a gold fish, I'll be succinct: Privacy is dead. Being threat smart in the context of privacy begins with NOT going places or creating data. Something anti-upskirting activists like Gina Martin don't get. Although well-intentioned, #StopSkirtingTheIssue is naïve.
There's a perspective you get from living in China as a security researcher and lawyer BEFORE the advent of smartphones and sophisticated mini spy cams and AFTER, as a Black man — and the horrid tales of secret filming, some shared below — that teaches you the wisdom of adapting rather than naively expecting new laws and aloof politicians to help. Same reason you don't go to Saudi Arabia as a foreign female, many parts of the Middle East or Africa and insist on quickly changing anti-gay, anti-porn or miniskirt laws.
I tell female friends and relatives to adapt (as below) rather than waste time reacting, because it is impossible to keep up. Whether we're talking Stalkerware (click below), or new technologies enabling Deep Fake News — which frankly should worry you more than such Social Media campaigns misleading the gullible into a false sense of security — there's much bigger fish to fry. Next-gen tracking and fingerprinting is evolving and being abused. Nevertheless, solutions abound.
Importantly, women who have been traditionally lax about privacy will now be forced to deal with deep fakes as fake porn images of them torment them. That's why there's never been a better time to take Social Media Security and the 5 Unforgivable Rules of Social Media seriously. Click/tap.
You'll also understand as you delve deeper, click my resource-rich hyperlinked images and hypertexts throughout this piece. But essentially, what I mean by creating data is: In a data-driven world such as ours, everything you do or say creates data. Data you should never naïvely assume exists to help you. For example, what does the appallingly low conviction rate of U.S. police officers caught on camera murdering unarmed Black people tell us? Well, the fact that I, too, lived in Greece—albeit with a better security and privacy IQ—is sadly, why there's a lesson in Bakari Henderson's tragic murder.
As a Black man, I see ignorance killing or leading others like me to trouble every day. But you'll soon connect the dots. And if not, for a consulting fee, I can help. However, whether your job involves lots of traveling, hotel stays; if you're a good employee, nanny, or Airbnb, luxury, ride hailing and other cleaning services or rentals customer; or simply a good person who expects your privacy to be protected by more law, tech, or the goodwill of bystanders or strangers, reconsider. Because all it takes is exposure to/in the wrong location, boss, regime or people who will violate you anyhow.
Living in Greece, like the Bronx (New York) where I once called home, Philadelphia, my adopted (college) home, and all other countries throughout Europe, North America, Africa and Asia, security-wise, meant keeping a low profile. Avoiding clubs, parties, booze, street hangouts; crowded places — for prolonged periods — or unnecessary public transport, matters. Also, positively vet and exclusively deal with conservative, religious, elderly folks when renting. For (vacation) home security read:
Part 2 further below addresses home security product limitations. But depending on the size of your home, a highly responsible, agile and well-trained professional or family acting as house sitter(s) is best. Needless to say, technology has its benefits, especially for larger estates. That's why the best home security products for 2019 is included here. From smart home security solutions to budget, and more. Moreover, the reason I recommend elderly folks is because they often have family, generational and reputational attachments to the services they provide, with (likely) more predictable, verifiable standards. Indeed you're also more likely to find them through word of mouth or a church, than on some App! Indeed from Scotland to Japan, these have been among my best memories. Problem is, oversexualized Westerners want to have their cake and eat it too, to which Seth Godin says:
In a world of biometric surveillance, where “there is no place to hide” I couldn't agree more. Which brings us to China. The most surveilled nation after North Korea. Black or Brown folks' privacy nightmare. Already at the forefront of Misusing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to profile and infringe on Human Rights. A nation without due process, where lawyers I know have emigrated; where thanks to addictive censorship and a virtuous circle of ignorance atop a culture of gossip and dishonesty (click image above), Black people are constantly secretly filmed and racially profiled. By Mainlanders. Using mobile and sophisticated devices with upskirting ingenuity.
Indeed from authorities/security guards to employees, landlords and restaurant workers abusing their positions, I've seen all the tricks. So, with China's police now using facial recognition shades to target “criminals” ...what could go wrong? Click, tap, see the video, and believe.
Black Youtuber vlogs abound. But what they rarely share is/are heated, often jingoistic abuse after Mainlanders are caught red-handed and they use brinkmanship to lie right to the victim's face. And if smart and you pretend to look away, how gleeful Mainlanders look thinking they just cheated you.
I once got on a bus after a long business day in Hong Kong, where people are too civil and preoccupied for that. Took a seat and briefly exchanged pleasantries in Chinese with a young couple occupying the two seats on the other side. Dozed off only to wake up thanks to a pothole, with the girl's smartphone in my face, —leaning over her partner who was playing video games, filming. Like a tourist attraction.
Does video surveillance reduce and/or deter crime? Absolutely! With sometimes extreme behavioral and psychological effects.
Indeed with 626 million facial recognition CCTVs due by 2020 in addition to the increasingly dystopian level of surveillance in Chinese classrooms, you better believe something is working. Ethics aside. Or else Britain's head of Metropolitan Police Federation wouldn't want China's technology, deployment, and model to catch criminals and terrorists in London.
Thankfully, there's an art and science to shielding yourself. See OPSEC at bottom of page. However, China's subways are the worse for privacy. Especially if you're Black
You want ONLY a rear seat.
Sit or stand anywhere else and people quietly film you, instantly upload to their WeChat (Weixin) with typically ignorant, judgmental, stupid comments.
I've made several strangers delete images after catching them.
A Kenyan stranger told me how he angrily threw someone's phone out of the bus. And the driver — unusually apathetic given Mainlanders' typically nationalist indoctrination — helped him by refusing to stop the bus for the owner to frantically collect his now partially damaged phone. Strategic considerations: From streets to courtrooms in China, foreigners are guilty by default. Blacks in particular, under constant surveillance.
Meanwhile, subway or passport travel à la Gui Minhai, only exposes targets.
I'll spare you details of the time I was swarmed by 20 poorly trained “petty” police officers barely 5 minutes after stepping out for an evening walk. But, as I advised the African, it's not worth it. You'll understand why further below. Nevertheless, although China's a tough case, it helps to know:
Secondly, the rear bus camera sits directly above your head. So take necessary precautions with your devices and sensitive data assets.
Do leverage bus curtains, or improvise, because needless to say, once you're spotted by privacy violators from the outside, you're screwed.
Critically, avoid weekend, rush hour, or national holiday outings. As for clubs, read about foreigners languishing in jails further below.
Me? I only did groceries or ran errands during business hours, running by the clock in such a way as to dodge China's notoriously crowded buses. For subway security and privacy, contact me.
Often benefiting or shielding the people in stronger positions, surveillance laws globally are often in place to benefit governments. Not individuals. And China is no different. Click below to understand the NSA's reach, locally and internationally. And use that information to enhance your privacy.
However, winning the privacy game begins with thinking far ahead enough to know with whom and where not to engage in the first place. And for women in particular, Real Estate and fitting/changing rooms have, and always will be watering holes. Whatever the country. So, choose your spots.
For maximum security: Avoid not just China's hotels but all hotels whenever and wherever possible. And for maximum home security and privacy, mind who you let into your house as dodgy people do plant devices. Also, beware of the Pros & Cons of the “Best Home Security Products” and read:
Extreme? Sure. But that's because the cat's already out of the bag and it doesn't matter which country you find yourself. No matter how good your countermeasures, someone is always a step ahead. Plus, you won't always have time to implement the best tips above. Or extreme ones like the below:
Coming back, I cover China's Big Brother addiction and developments extensively in my tweets so you may follow me on Twitter for that. But, China's Social Credit system plus ubiquitous motion sensor-equipped street lights, hidden cameras and laws, harvesting, tracking and mapping private and business digital data footprint as well as voice biometric database obviously to monitor phone conversations in real-time isn't as freakishly Orwellian as how it effectively limits the success prospects of its oppressed Uyghurs through DNA, Fingerprint, photos, Iris scan and medical data surveillance. Click below for HRW (Human Rights Watch) report. And here to tighten your Google privacy settings.
I realize the previous advice doesn't sound practicable to many, but read on, and get good at minimizing your digital footprint. Or capitulate. Because the value of associated AI and tech (below) is precisely why both security and the law will keep playing a losing game of catch me if you can.
From your opinions on social networks or wherever recording devices — including hidden cameras — exist, to living thing; to your physical presence anywhere, your privacy and security comes from your mastering the art and science of practical lifestyle adjustments. Not more tech. Consider this:
Recently, when Bloomberg shared designer and social media enthusiast Karim Rashid's — I'm sure well-meaning but naive — idea of the first thing you should do when you enter a hotel room my response, which you can read on Twitter, was swift and forthright. So, with the video above, I'll expatiate.
Indeed as a lawyer who isn't attached to the vocation, I've always found terms like “reasonable expectation of privacy” laughable. And to live in China for just one day with eyes wide open, or for over fourteen years as I did, is to understand why even in America, any new advancement in technology is an opportunity for business, crime and ever more snooping. But I'm getting ahead of myself. (All images, hyperlinked with rich resource, remember).
Most people, for reasons addressed further below will continue to struggle with digital age privacy intrusions in ways neither technology nor legislation can fix. In a data-driven world, every action creates a footprint. So more tech, more meaningless social media, more apps, more sign-ups, sexting, creating sex tapes — if that's your thing, despite repeated high profile nude leaks and revenge porn, etc. — is all digital footprint baggage likely to expose you to privacy and security intrusions, as well as blackmail and extortion. This is why threat smart, privacy-conscious folks practice plausible deniability.
The absolute first thing is (see bottom of page) threat modeling: Do I even need to be in a hotel in the first place? Or: No question I need so-and-so service. But what's my privacy and security posture?
Notice there's nothing technical or cyber security-ish about that notion?
Yet people hate thinking!
So I'll wrap REAL African, Asian, European and U.S. personal stories around the image below.
For a short while before switching off on moral grounds, I watched, as a teen in the Bronx (New York), a half nude lady adjacent to our apartment building every night around 8PM.
Nonchalantly bouncing up from bed and striding about in underwear and see-though lingerie apparently after work, she enjoyed her TV and life, fully exposed to anyone with the time and technology to snoop.
Of course this was long before the advent of smartphones and sophisticated nano and home spy cams.
Then years ago in China my two Chinese friends stood aghast during an apartment search, as I pointed to a hobbyist's balcony. Packed with more spy and video voyeurism gear than above, they were finally connecting the dots. Years after mocking me for being too paranoid about security and privacy.
During another apartment search, a naked man fetching something in his apartment unknowingly silenced the real estate agent who'd been politely disagreeing with me about what one could or couldn't see from where.
Angles. Always remember.
In fact, from Europe to Asia, I couldn't tell you how many times I wondered what I did to deserve being at just the right place at the right time to spot fully nude — mostly women — opening windows or walking into or out of bathrooms.
A full block across in New York, I lacked the best view. Yet the imagination I applied, she lacked.
Being a mobile phone zombie today trapped in Social Media vanity doesn't help. For, as in Boxing, Self-Defense or Surviving Terrorism, angles do matter. Cat videos or memes will only take you so far.
Invest the time to learn angles.
From defensive driving, to educative spy thrillers and real life and death examples, you don't have to understand what peripheral threats are. Or like my ignorant European friend, facetiously shrug: “Even if they get my pictures what are they gonna do with it?”
Deep fake news. To answer the question.
Moreover, looking to nonexistent laws or clichéd corporate promises of “we take your security [or privacy] seriously” or naïvely traveling, American or not, with ANY expectation of privacy, won't cut either. For SmartTV security and privacy, click/tap below:
So how to protect your privacy in a world where radio frequency (RF) finders or RF bug detectors have their limits? My answers may underwhelm you. But that's because there's what I give away for free, versus solutions I implement through consultation. These are as important as the foregoing:
For travelers, execs, etc. if minimizing your digital footprint isn't feasible for your line of work, as above, then I recommend Riyue's G318, PRC knockoff CC308+ or Spy Finder. Detailed options below:
To be clear, I have no affiliation with both EzVid, Inc. and Spyville. But I often use the latter's site for quick security and market research. So as far as countermeasures, absolutely a good place to start.
It doesn't matter how tech savvy or wealthy one is. The wrong attitude to privacy under any circumstance — including not, at some point, clicking the above image to read — is all it takes to expose oneself.
Steve Jobs for example, died unnecessarily having ignored the RIGHT time-sensitive perspective required to work with doctors and prolong his life. Don't be similarly hard-headed.
Don't be naïve about your supposed “rights” either. Because this article is meant to forewarn you that it's not just high-tech surveillance addicts like China.
Globally, there's increasingly a legal, technical and security trend/argument for law enforcement to have ready access to search and scan digital devices. Click above to educate yourself (via #iTHiNKLabs) and most importantly, make appropriate practical paradigm shifts and data protection contingency plans. Whether you're traveling or not.
An amateur allows his client to self-diagnose. But in a world of biometric surveillance where seemingly “there is no place to hide” a genuine professional alone does the diagnosis. So here, I respectfully assert:
The first step is understanding that 50% of your solution is appropriate attention given to the content above, in its entirety. From anecdotes to hypertexts and linked images. In the feature video, you see an engaged family open to learning. Without such curiosity, you're doomed!
UCLA basketball players Cody Riley, LiAngelo Ball, and Jalen Hill (above) had at least 12 hours to be educate themselves using their own mobile devices.
They had 12 hours to be coached and briefed about China, the most surveilled nation after North Korea.
They had days, months and years to engage with fellow Blacks like me to understand how to navigate security in China.
They didn't.
The information is out there.
Well-informed people use social media, google or tech wisely.
Yet having chosen ignorance, they arrived in China, shoplifted, easily got caught by cameras, and got arrested.
Also embedded in the Newsweek story in the other image above is how Wendell Brown — unlike the 3 — is stuck, his family broke, and languishing in a Chinese jail. Because he didn't do his homework either.
To better understand how future Chinese technology will affect your privacy, click or tap above, avoid the country, or, for strategic help, contact me consultation (as above).
Consult me here. Engage or follow me here. Or, continue learning below. But remember:
You can't decisively win even with good OPSEC. Just don't needlessly leave yourself exposed!
○ ○ ○Follow The Dove○ ○ ○
Threat Smart XXII ▼ 66 Ways to Protect Your Privacy
PEACE
TT
F I N I S
Comments
Post a Comment