Month: April 2024
In the early days of the commercial internet, websites just used cookies to track.
Today, tracking has become much deeper and more sophisticated. The advertising tech industry has developed new ways to track users. NB: what I call the advertising tech industry is basically Facebook, Google and a myriad of data brokers or “consumer intelligence” (nice euphemism) companies.
The key to programmatic advertising, this entire ad industry upon which the entire internet as we know it today runs off of, is IDENTITY.
It monitors and scoops up all the information about everything people do on the internet, i.e., all the big data. But then they need to associate actions and data and insight with individual identities (if you visit YouTube everyday from your home, office, cafe and gym and also do so from your laptop, mobile, tablets and computer, those are all disparate tidbits of info that need to be unified and linked under your identity for it to be valuable information).
So the key for a data industry players now is all about managing the unique user identities/profiles, each of which they will gather and add behavioral tracking and other data to.
In their systems, I have a profile, you have a profile, etc… but not a profile in the sense that we have made an account with the data company, but rather based on the dossiers they have on all of us.
Here is an interesting article listing out some key ID data companies. They are the ones that compile and maintain shadow identities of people.
The article outlines how each company creates an ID (by email address, IP address, postal address, cookies, device software/hardware information, combination of these, etc…).
Here is a graph summarising the sources contributing to building profiles.
This graph helps you to take action to protect your privacy for each of the items listed above.
- Email:
- For as much as a cup of coffee a day, you can subscribe to ProtonMail, the most secure email on the planet. ProtonMail even allows you to create aliases email addresses connected to your main email. So you never have to reveal your real email anymore.
- SimpleLogin is a great solution that let you create as many email aliases as you want. I use it A LOT! It also allows you to create your own subdomain name (i.e., what comes after the “at” in an email address, something like “user.aleeas.com”). From there, you can make up an alias by placing the name of the newsletter, shopping site or delivery company (or anything else) before the “at” (something like “amazon at user.aleeas.com”). All emails will land in your inbox, but your REAL email (and therefore your identity) is protected. Check SimpleLogin documentation for more info.
- Phone Number: you can subscribe to services that give you alias phone numbers that you can use for online purchases.
- Name: never give your full name when you subscribe to newsletter or browse the internet. Most of the time initials will suffice.
- Postal address: this one is harder to hide, but you can consider using a PO Box.
- IP Address: use a reliable VPN, and remember, if you do not pay for the service, your data is your payment! So again, pay to get reliable, secure services. ProtonMail has a very good VPN. They have a package available that bundles email, VPN, aliases etc. Check their website, they often have special promotions.
- Browser activity: use safe browsers such as TOR, Mullvad Browser or Brave.
- Device Data: check your privacy settings, disable location services for all apps, and only enable the one that REALLY need it when you use the app.
- First party cookies: use safe browsers such as TOR, Mullvad Browser or Brave.
- Third-party cookies: most browsers allow you to stop third party cookies (although I would not trust any browser that belongs to a big tech company).
Check the previous posts on this blog for more privacy tips.
Undersea cables are the unseen backbone of the global internet.
Robin Chataut, Quinnipiac University
Have you ever wondered how an email sent from New York arrives in Sydney in mere seconds, or how you can video chat with someone on the other side of the globe with barely a hint of delay? Behind these everyday miracles lies an unseen, sprawling web of undersea cables, quietly powering the instant global communications that people have come to rely on.
Undersea cables, also known as submarine communications cables, are fiber-optic cables laid on the ocean floor and used to transmit data between continents. These cables are the backbone of the global internet, carrying the bulk of international communications, including email, webpages and video calls. More than 95% of all the data that moves around the world goes through these undersea cables.
These cables are capable of transmitting multiple terabits of data per second, offering the fastest and most reliable method of data transfer available today. A terabit per second is fast enough to transmit about a dozen two-hour, 4K HD movies in an instant. Just one of these cables can handle millions of people watching videos or sending messages simultaneously without slowing down.
About 485 undersea cables totaling over 900,000 miles sit on the the ocean floor. These cables span the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as strategic passages such as the Suez Canal and isolated areas within oceans.
Laying cables under the sea
Each undersea cable contains multiple optical fibers, thin strands of glass or plastic that use light signals to carry vast amounts of data over long distances with minimal loss. The fibers are bundled and encased in protective layers designed to withstand the harsh undersea environment, including pressure, wear and potential damage from fishing activities or ship anchors. The cables are typically as wide as a garden hose.
The process of laying undersea cables starts with thorough seabed surveys to chart a map in order to avoid natural hazards and minimize environmental impact. Following this step, cable-laying ships equipped with giant spools of fiber-optic cable navigate the predetermined route.
As the ship moves, the cable is unspooled and carefully laid on the ocean floor. The cable is sometimes buried in seabed sediments in shallow waters for protection against fishing activities, anchors and natural events. In deeper areas, the cables are laid directly on the seabed.
Along the route, repeaters are installed at intervals to amplify the optical signal and ensure data can travel long distances without degradation. This entire process can take months or even years, depending on the length and complexity of the cable route. https://www.youtube.com/embed/yd1JhZzoS6A?wmode=transparent&start=0 How undersea cables are installed.
Threats to undersea cables
Each year, an estimated 100 to 150 undersea cables are cut, primarily accidentally by fishing equipment or anchors. However, the potential for sabotage, particularly by nation-states, is a growing concern. These cables, crucial for global connectivity and owned by consortia of internet and telecom companies, often lie in isolated but publicly known locations, making them easy targets for hostile actions.
The vulnerability was highlighted by unexplained failures in multiple cables off the coast of West Africa on March 14, 2024, which led to significant internet disruptions affecting at least 10 nations. Several cable failures in the Baltic Sea in 2023 raised suspicions of sabotage.
The strategic Red Sea corridor has emerged as a focal point for undersea cable threats. A notable incident involved the attack on the cargo ship Rubymar by Houthi rebels. The subsequent damage to undersea cables from the ship’s anchor not only disrupted a significant portion of internet traffic between Asia and Europe but also highlighted the complex interplay between geopolitical conflicts and the security of global internet infrastructure.
Protecting the cables
Undersea cables are protected in several ways, starting with strategic route planning to avoid known hazards and areas of geopolitical tension. The cables are constructed with sturdy materials, including steel armor, to withstand harsh ocean conditions and accidental impacts.
Beyond these measures, experts have proposed establishing “cable protection zones” to limit high-risk activities near cables. Some have suggested amending international laws around cables to deter foreign sabotage and developing treaties that would make such interference illegal.
The recent Red Sea incident shows that help for these connectivity challenges might lie above rather than below. After cables were compromised in the region, satellite operators used their networks to reroute internet traffic. Undersea cables are likely to continue carrying the vast majority of the world’s internet traffic for the foreseeable future, but a blended approach that uses both undersea cables and satellites could provide a measure of protection against cable cuts.
Robin Chataut, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity and Computer Science, Quinnipiac University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.