Page 23 - aruba-today-20170309
P. 23
TECHNOLOGY A23
Thursday 9 March 2017
WikiLeaks fallout: Should you worry about alleged CIA hacks?
MAE ANDERSON This Feb. 19, 2014, file photo, shows WhatsApp and Facebook app icons on a smartphone in are “unbreakable” by law
TALI ARBEL New York. So, you use messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal or have smart TVs and PCs. enforcement. Younger
BARBARA ORTUTAY Associated Press people were more likely to
AP Technology Writers support strong encryption,
NEW YORK (AP) — So, you hacking and surveillance, the FBI and with other do- “At this point, I am so used as were Democrats.
use messaging apps like Marshello says he won’t mestic law enforcement to reading stories about If they’re authentic, the
WhatsApp or Signal or cut his iPhone or modern agencies that could em- accounts getting hacked leaked CIA documents
have smart TVs and PCs. messaging apps out of his ploy them domestically. that it is to be expected,” frame one stark reality:
Should you worry that the life. But he doesn’t have a Ed Mierzwinski, consumer Matt Holden, an editor and It may be that no digital
CIA is listening to your con- smart TV and doesn’t plan program director at con- social media coordinator in conversation, photo or
versations? to get one, he keeps his mi- sumer advocacy group Dallas, Texas, said via email. other slice of life can be
The short answer is no. The crophone unplugged and U.S. PIRG, said the news Holden worries about the shielded from spies and
long answer is maybe, camera covered when should alert consumers to safety of personal informa- other intruders prying into
though it’s still unlikely you he’s not using his PC and how vulnerable internet- tion like his social security smartphones, computers
need to be too concerned. he has voice recognition connected devices are. number and financial de- or other devices connect-
WikiLeaks revelations de- turned off on his phone. “You shouldn’t be too tails, but says he’s less con- ed to the internet.
scribing secret CIA hack- He’s not alone. Last year, concerned about the CIA cerned about the security Another reality: Many may
ing tools allegedly used Facebook CEO Mark Zuck- hacking you unless you’re of his messaging apps. not care.
to break into computers, erberg was photographed doing something illegal,” “So long as I conduct my- “People have fatigue in this
mobile phones and even with his laptop camera and he said. “But this should be self in a way that would area, especially when talk-
smart TVs could certainly microphone covered with a wakeup call for the aver- mean I have nothing to ing about data breaches,
have real-life implications tape. Some online called age consumer.” hide, then I’m not worried and to a degree, hacking,”
for anyone using internet- him paranoid; others sug- He recommended chang- about the government tak- said Eva Velasquez, presi-
connected technology. gested he was just being ing passwords on smart TVs, ing a look,” he said. dent of the Identity Theft
In particular, the WikiLe- smart. cameras and other con- In a recent Pew survey , Resource Center, who
aks documents suggest WHY IT MATTERS nected devices as often conducted in the spring says it’s difficult to imagine
the CIA has attempted to “What everybody should as you change computer of 2016 and released this what kind of abuses would
turn TVs into listening de- be asking is whether any passwords. “Whether it’s January, 46 percent of re- force them to abandon
vices and to circumvent — of this was shared with lo- your refrigerator, smart spondents thought the their smartphones. “People
though not crack — mes- cal law enforcement,” said lights you program from government should be love their fun toys and de-
sage apps that employ Scott Vernick, a partner at your phone or your baby able to access encrypted vices,” she said.
protective data scram- the law firm Fox Rothschild monitor, the security sys- communications when in- THE INTERNET OF SPYING
bling. who focuses on data priva- tems in most ‘internet of vestigating crimes. Only THINGS
But for people weary of a cy and security. Meaning, things’ products are actu- 44 percent thought tech “We don’t know about the
seemingly constant revela- whether the CIA shared ally dumb, not smart.” companies should be able CIA role, but we do know
tions of hacks, government any of the techniques with PRIVACY FATIGUE to use encryption tools that anything with a chip in it
spying and security worries, that is connected to the
the news came as no sur- Internet is vulnerable to
prise. hacking,” said Gartner se-
“Today’s leaks definitely curity analyst Avivah Litan.
concern me, but at this A hacking attack last Oc-
point I have accepted tober that disrupted sites
that security risks are an such as Amazon and Net-
inherent part of our mod- flix, for instance, originated
ern technology,” Andrew on internet-connected de-
Marshello, a soundboard vices such as home video-
operator from Queens, cams.
New York, said by email. “Basically the ‘Internet
“Since that tech is so inte- of things’ is vulnerable
grated into our society, it’s and has been deployed
hard to take the reason- without thinking of secu-
able step — cutting out rity first,” Litan said. Anyone
smart devices, messaging with reason to think some-
apps, etc. — without sacri- one might be spying on
ficing a part of social life.” them “should think twice
While he’s “definitely wor- about a connected car or
ried” about deeper impli- a connected camera.”q
cations of governmental
