does anyone else overdo privacy and security?

DaveC426913

Actually, I have a secret compartment in my house behind a wall panel. It is absolutely undetectable unless someone puts a fist through the panel.

I keep emergency supplies there in case of an extended blackout. Flashlights, blankets, water, rations, etc. Enough for 4 people for about 4 days. (Not enough but better than nothing.)

Having been caught with my pants down in the Blackout of '03 I realized that even world-class mega-cities can fall victim to power outages.

Not that I'm really worried about our safety, but when 4 million people all decide they need to hoard supplies before the other 4 million people pillage them, it could get scary. Better to wait it out at home.

JaredJames

I don't see what that has to do with what I said.

I asked why the OP wanted to do what he/she proposed and laid out why I couldn't fathom it. You responded telling me that people in Holland care more about what others think than having a bit of privacy and that people in Canada don't care what people think.

There's a big difference between utilising blinds / curtains for privacy to having secret parts to your house and major security initiatives. If you (collective, not you yourself) really feel that a secret room is preferable to people's perceptions of you because you've closed your blinds then I'm sorry, but you've truly gone over the top.

JaredJames

You can be the most paranoid person around and do nothing to alleviate it (just accept your belief that everyone is 'hacking' you every second of every day), which means you're paranoid and not secure. So that statement is out the window.
To implement adequate security is one thing, to get excessive is something else.
The moment you connect to the internet there's that risk and depending on what you're connecting to the net you should take appropriate steps to protect yourself. There is a clear line (at least for me) between reasonable protection and becoming paranoid.

An example, for the work servers we need fairly strong security to ensure confidential documents are kept secure and the system isn't taken down by malicious software. So there are adequate facilities in place to deal with that.
In the house, I keep my stuff on separate drives with restricted access so if anything does happen I can just wipe my computer and start again - with experience it has proven the quicker and simpler option to attempting to solve the problem (mainly with malicious software).

Both systems have enough protection / procedures to ensure I'm not being spied on by every Tom, Dick and Harry or that if there is a catastrophe it can be dealt with asap based on what is stored within them.

I completely accept a government or organisation with highly confidential data needing to take a paranoid view, but for the average Joe the threat doesn't equate to the level of belief that person has regarding who is trying to 'violate their privacy'.

Don't get me wrong, as security systems get better we should certainly implement them (better AV etc) and work on improving them, but they are more than capable of your every day needs.
Yes, because people can become convinced of the 'threat' they believe exists and spend all their time focussing on it.

I'm just waiting for someone to say they've got a Faraday cage to prevent the evil government reading their minds...

ThomasT

Interesting hobby.

JaredJames

Corrected that for you.

IMP

If you really valued privacy and security that much you would never make a post like this on a public forum regardless of how many "security programs" you may be using...

dangerbird

I'm just gona reply by saying it's not paranoia that drives me to want to eliminate what I realize is a small risk (<.001% or less). If it were paranoia then I'd think that the odds were like 10% but I realize the risk is very low. The goal is to eliminate any slight chance of anything happening so the thought of the possibility doesn't have to cross my mind ever.

Ryan_m_b

You will not succeed in this. You can minimise risk to the point where it is unreasonable to worry about it any more but you cannot eliminate it. Investing disproportionate time, energy, emotion and resources into negligible risks is at best a waste of time and at worse paranoia causing a detriment to other aspects of your life.

dangerbird

its smart to plan ahead and prepare for possable scenarios i think. no matter what they are or how unlikely they are to happen i think

Ryan_m_b

This is a detrimental mindset. If you truly believe this and pursue it you will end up living in a fortress house with decades long supplies of food, fuel, medicine etc with all contact over the internet and food delivered via airlock. You may think I'm going too far but there are people in the world who set themselves up like this because they judge the risk of going outside and getting hurt (by nature or people) to be unacceptable.

In life there are risks and you have to balance time spent preparing for risks with time spent taking risks. Get that balance wrong and you damage yourself either physically, emotionally, socially or financially.
I have no problem with that but considering you previously mentioned modifying your house to include secret passages because you're so concerned about people violating your space I think my point is still valid.

dangerbird

i find it strange that people here are telling me im paranoid when im not, after ive said i realize the odds of something happening to where i live are .01% and even less after all the security's enhanced.

Ryan_m_b

Dangerbird please use proper capitalisation and punctuation when writing a post e.g.

dangerbird

Well gee anyones free to think what they want

lostcauses10x

privacy and security

It comes down to why do you need it. Are you a target for kidnapping and blackmail??
are you in a position to be stalked: Famous or in the news or in a controversial job and so on?
Do things in the past that people or groups just might hunt you down?? And so on.

You say you want to eliminate the slim chance. Is the chance realistic to the probability?

Folks saying Paranoia, well to do so just because there is a SMALL chance, would make some believe such. It does come down to what is real in a threat to you.

Of course a security company would easily make money off of you: just because you asked; and your stated reason for the Why of it.

If you have the money and time such that, it will not interfere with your life or the others around you, go for it.

rhody

dangerbird,

I am one of those type of people who tends to worry to much, so I can identify where you are coming from. It was not until I determined that I have a mild case of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), that too much unhealthy time was spent on worrying about things that really were not that big in the grand scheme of things, I am much better today for coming to terms with it. I have developed coping mechanisms that allow me true peace and dare I say joy in my life. This may or may not apply to you, just a thought, something to consider. I wish you well.

Rhody...

MarcoD

Well, you've got all the qualifications for a great system administrator.

dangerbird

Naw its just to eliminate any crazy rare stuff like in a million chance stuff from happening its not that theres iminent danger and i realize that thats why its not paranoia see