Pwned again
OK, so it might be that I just love using the verb “to pwn” in a headline. My latest column, which also contains “pwn” in its headline, is about why I don’t shred my bills and encrypt all my data in this era of ubiquitous surveillance and identity theft. Of course, I take reasonable precautions to protect my privacy. I don’t throw away my credit card bills, and I check my mail via an SSL tunnel. I don’t use webmail for communication I wouldn’t put on the back of a postcard. I won’t even talk about “sensitive issues” on the phone anymore. At the same time, I refuse to become so paranoid that I go beyond that:
I’ve weighed the alternatives — shredders, constant data wiping — and chosen to take the risk. I don’t want to be forced to hide everything about myself. If some potential employer doesn’t like my blog, that’s an employer I don’t need. If the government wants to persecute me for what’s contained in my stored messages, then I will fight back as best I can or leave the country.
If you want to find out how pwning fits into all this, you’ll have to read the column!
