Friday, March 23, 2018

Snake oil on steroids

Recently, the company who provides security for my computer tried to contact me about a possible security breach.  They sent an e-mail & they called.  BUT both the e-mail & the phone call sounded suspicious & I didn't pay attention.  The phone call was suspect because it was clearly made from a India or some such place, with the caller clearly in a room filled with other people making other calls.

I didn't know that the call was important because I've become so suspicious of such calls.  I've become suspicious that the caller id showing a local number isn't going to be from some far distant call center.

We've learned from Cambridge Analytica what folks with brains instead of butter already knew - that today's technology makes it easy peasy to manipulate our deepest emotions & especially irrational fears for their own ends.  Thanks to the hidden camera stars, we know that they used info we handed over - willingly - to get to know us better than our bestie BFF.

The question I'm facing full on this week isn't "Who do I trust?" or "When do I trust?" but it is "How do I trust - period?"  How do I trust that what I think I believe isn't a fear or prejudice brought to boil by nameless others with a purpose that is not in my best interests?

Realizing we've fully entered the realm of science fiction turned science fact.

No comments:

Post a Comment