Not surprising really. There are always people who just don't care or are blindly trusting authorities with everything. Even if they got stamped microchip or barcode into their forehead they probably would consider it nothing special.
You're never going to get enough of the public to really change their computer habits, just as the same as you're never going to explain to the NSA why privacy violations are bad. I think computer security will always remain the very last issue for most, maybe a thing between learning to hang glide and cleaning the garage. And I can't blame them fully, most on here would agree that real security is a tedious thing to manage, even as a hobby. But that said, you also do have some people that can take measures and not only better their own setup but better the world a bit. The journalist, the whistle blowers, the software devs... As long as we have enough of the web to organize these people, then there's hope.
Yea. I was totally dumbfounded when reading about that voluntary RFID implant for Stockholm workers mentioned here some time ago.
The problem is even if you do care how much time do you have to invest in learning everything that is required to gain a good understanding of the issues with the technology involved? There is a huge amount to learn.
Yes, there's a lot to learn. And for some of it, there's a lot to learn, before you can even appreciate why there's more to learn. At some point, we all need to trust someone about stuff that we don't know. Consider something as simple as VPN services. Two key practical concerns are DNS leaks, and fail-open vs fail-closed. To be safe, many of us know to use third-party DNS servers and firewalls. But what about those who are using VPN providers' custom clients? How do they know that they're protected, if they don't even understand how they ought to be protected? It's become clear to me that education is far from enough. Most users don't have a clue, and when pressed, get all nihilistic about the situation. There are many "best VPN" sites, but all (or virtually all) are just selling ads (or sometimes more like protection). I've considered the possibility of starting a VPN-rating service. It would be tedious and boring work, and I'd need to buy Apple hardware, so it's not something that I'd do for free. But who would pay? Crowd-sourcing is another option, but then users need to trust more testers. Perhaps I could charge VPN services for my work, operating as an accreditation service. But how would I handle failures, and the fee structure for retesting? And fundamentally, how would I not look like just another fee-based "best VPN" site? Why would VPN users trust me? I periodically cycle back through this idea, and then forget about it for a while. What do y'all think?
I know I trust you, and almost sure other ppl who read your comments too. It's how reputation works. Or possibly, you're not aware how much you earned your reputation around these matter, I just hope it won't be burden. I can't pay/donate much as I'm poor student, but if you start VPN rating I'll appreciate much. I found Wilders is better than all "best VPN" article I've read so far.
Ain't that the case. And speaks to the heart of the problem: those who are supposedly protecting us are doing the opposite (and in a way that - although I knew very well was technically possible - I never imagined they would be so short-sighted and foolish to do, but then empires are built and destroyed this way). We are all having to adjust to a new landscape, or at least, some blinkers have been lifted. And very qualified trust.
Thanks, 142395 I'm honored! But at issue are those (many millions, maybe billions) who use VPNs, or ought to, and have never heard of Wilders (let alone mirimir). Why would they trust me? Why would they trust Wilders users who say that they trust me? And then there's the accreditation fee. People are (often justifiably) cynical about money. Anyway, thanks
Yes, but periodically some ppl find Wilders is good place to learn security and ask for advise. So at least some ppl will come to trust you, or Wilders opinion. I'm not sure how much reputation Wilders have, maybe not much, but still there. But sure, for such ppl you don't need to start new service, so they are not main target...
Maybe what we have is good enough, then. We educate about potential leaks, how to test for them, and how to prevent them. Then people can test themselves, and in the process, understand better what they're doing.
