activism
In today’s world, you and your data are the commodity and the internet is effectively permanent. Scamming is operating at an institutional level, with annual cybercrime causing harm to the tune of tens of trillions of dollars. Although LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini are innovative, they also enable criminals to scam the unwary. They can bypass language barriers by creating dialogues that are more convincing than ever. It’s a poorly kept secret that some who call themselves security experts benefit from this hostile situation, profiting from the problems, then selling the solution. While there are many ethical security experts who are dedicated to stopping bad actors, we can’t deny that even the security solutions landscape has its dangers.
Crypto and adult industries are no strangers to security matters, which cannot be mitigated without effective coordination across regulatory, institutional, social, and personal levels. This topic is so important that we are creating a free multi-part series that explores methods, practical tips, and tools (many of which are free) to help you channel your inner security engineer and give you an edge against digital predators.
This article is written for educational purposes and thus is intended for a broad audience. In security, there isn’t a single solution that is best for everyone. Instead, we will share techniques, real-world walkthroughs, and trade-offs so that you can begin developing a security-oriented mindset. Throughout this series, we will reference various resources to use them as examples. Because the world is rapidly changing, there’s no guarantee for how long any given guidance might be applicable. As always, be sure to do your own research and cross-check any information provided here for changes or updates.
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For any security strategy to be effective, you first need to know what you are protecting. We will begin by discussing your digital footprint, which is the trail you leave behind whenever you interact with digital devices or software. Data brokers and social media apps can track even basic day-to-day activities and expose details about your identity and habits, creating a path for scammers to profile and exploit you.
First and foremost, with security, there are zero shortcuts.
Every time you click on anything, you are taking a risk. This means that you are only as safe as your worst vulnerability. Never underestimate the dangers that can come from an innocent friend or family member. Anyone can unknowingly compromise your security. Best practices are evolving constantly, and malicious bots stalk the web, ready to strike the moment an opportunity presents itself. Apps that seem impermeable today could be compromised tomorrow. And let’s be real—people rarely read the fine print, and even when they do, there are no guarantees.
The good news is that anyone can learn the basics, and it can make a big difference. With a bit of effort, you can take control of your fate and be better armed to protect yourself.
It is said that possession is nine-tenths of the law. In a world where data is sold to information brokers and trafficked on the dark web, that’s especially true. Many apps can and do leverage your information for financial gain. Some legal operations profile you to create targeted advertisements and sell your data, while more malicious actors may run keyloggers that record everything you type, including your passwords. Such bad actors may also use your personal information to phish for money and commit identity theft.
So in a world where privacy is effectively dead, what can be done?
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Few users pay for email, which may sound great, but that means they likely are being monetized. Freemail providers (such as Google) often profile you, then sell targeting information to businesses so they can serve you ads.
For that reason, there are circumstances in which it’s better to have control and ownership of your email. Proton Mail was designed to provide users with layered security and private communications. Their end-to-end and zero-access encryption documentation claims that content is encrypted directly on a device before it is stored. This style of security helps limit access to users’ content and data.
One of the best ways to protect yourself from identity theft is to hide your information as much as possible. Even if you are using freemail, you can create a separate, private, unguessable email address and dedicate it to managing sensitive content, such as banking and legal matters. Some email provider services let you pay a small fee to create email aliases. This way, whenever you interact with others, they can only see your proxy email address, while the real one remains hidden. Not only does this help protect you from hackers, it can also help with scam detection. Whenever an incoming email is sent to your public email instead of your private address, you can immediately flag it as suspicious.
Whether you are a public figure or simply trying to protect yourself, it is generally helpful to hide your physical address. Scammers may target your finances and rely on intermediary couriers to do the dirty work. If they feel provoked or believe that threats will get you to pay them, they may resort to cruel words and intimidating behavior, including appearing on your doorstep. Calling the police can be helpful, but it cannot guarantee protection, especially when these individuals turn up unexpectedly.
Instead, make your information unavailable. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways.
And not just your feelings, which you know to be true. In this case, “searching” means literally going online and using search engines, AI tools, and social media to try and find information about yourself. This reveals how much of your personal information is readily available. Make a note of what is public so you can better recognize what scammers can use to convince you they are trustworthy. And unless absolutely necessary, don’t publicize when you travel; it tells people when they can come and steal from you.
Whenever you move, you have a unique opportunity to hide your information by directing your mail to a private mailbox that is not your home address. Similar to email aliases, private mailing addresses can keep your home address off records. Paid commercial services, such as Traveling Mailbox, can set up private mailboxes to receive mail (including packages) and scan or forward it.
In addition, many states offer Address Confidentiality Programs (ACPs) that are specifically designed to help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or harassment. There are also sanctuary programs that hide physical addresses and give public-facing substitute addresses that are similar to private mailboxes. Some programs even help to hide property ownership, which is one of the easiest ways for people to dox someone. It is best to apply to these programs before a move so that your physical address does not have time to be circulated in public records.
If your information is already circulating the web, it’s not too late. Once you have catalogued and searched your publicly available information, you can request to have it removed, typically by making the request to the websites directly. Even if you are already on some kind of list, it is still helpful to remove your information so that the exposure doesn’t get worse. Once you set up a private mailbox, you can update all of your mail to your new alias.
Not literally, but from a security standpoint. It’s a useful mindset.
To condense all this information into a final takeaway: assume that anything you put online is or will become public knowledge. It can be fun to share, and many people default to thinking that they don’t have anything to hide, so what’s the worst that can happen? But this is rarely true when put to the test. The public can be cruel, and you never know what will be taken out of context or weaponized against you. Many creators, public figures, and job seekers have shared content that seemed fine at the time, only to have it age poorly and come back to haunt them. Even if your closet has no skeletons, your public data is a gold mine for others to impersonate, implicate, or defame you.
This information might take some time to absorb and act on, so remember to be gentle and go at your own pace. Every little bit helps, and like working out, it will get better over time. Security is a bit of a pain in the a**, but as the old saying goes, better safe than sorry.
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