Operational security (OPSEC) is a security and risk management process that prevents sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands.
As Black people we do not tolerate having our private affairs publicly known. We consider it an intrusion into our lives when something we consider private is suddenly known by the wrong people.
Personal operational security is what we are talking about. Your privacy. We live in age of technology and data. Information is an industry and we need to understand the need for privacy as we live with our technology.
Social Media
Social media has become the single most intrusive aspect of the digital age. We tell it all using X, Facebook. TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn. We have become a society of sharing everything we do and think with the world. We’re putting our business in the street! And it has slowly eliminated any privacy we thought we had. What are you sharing on social media?
African-Americans need to understand, first and foremost, that social media is an industry that is designed to get you to reveal as much about your life as possible. Companies like Facebook are set up to extract as much personal data as possible from its users. They collect this information, essentially free raw material, that is then sold to advertisers and whoever wants to buy it. Facebook probably knows more about you than the person you’re married to. If you’re not married Facebook knows who you’re sleeping with.
Social Media and Personal Operational Security
You maybe asking what is Personal Operational Security. It is the concept of limiting what we share with the world using social media. We all know people who overshare. They tell everybody what they are doing, where they are, what car they drive, who they are dating and even what their personal problems are. When you do this you are now an open book to the world and you never know who is reading that book.
One of the biggest dangers of social media is the sharing of personal data such as where you live and where you work. This is the stuff stalkers are looking for. This is not just for women but men as well.
Not everyone is your friend
Once you share personal information it is out of your control. Not everyone on social media is your friend. For those of you who enjoy collecting friends and followers you might want to pay attention. There is no way you can maintain a personal relationship with over a thousand people…period! So when you collect those followers ask yourself who are they? Some of the people are criminals who may target you using the information you share daily. They may know when you’re at home or away in Jamaica as your Facebook pictures show. You maybe setting yourself up for a cyber criminal who is learning everything about you to steal your identity or break into your bank accounts. Or you could be setting yourself for something far worse. Sistahs are you listening?
These cyber criminals learn the names of your children, parents and pets. And that is a good start to figuring out your passwords. Maybe they saw the license plate on your new car? Maybe they learned your mother’s maiden name and her birth date since you wished her a Happy Birthday on Facebook! This how a good cyber criminal works. This is the root of a good scam. And you’re telling them everything they need to know.
Personal information and scams
Nothing works better in scam than knowing everything about your victim. You personal information is all a good scam artists need to, first, get more information and, second, rob you blind. You get scam calls, emails and text messages daily. But what if you get one that addresses you by name? What if they know your address and workplace? Maybe your spouses’ or children’s name. Then you maybe willing to talk to them and that’s where your problems start. And its not just phone or email. Theses scam artists may reach out to you on social media accounts. They may claim to be a friend of a friend. They may reach out to you on a dating site. The scammer will know exactly how to pull your heart strings and what to say since he or she has been watching your social media. But it all starts with your personal information and ends with you being robbed of money and more, maybe even your identity.
Are your children safe?
Do you post pictures, video or information about your children online? Bad idea! Only your closest friends and relatives need to know who your children are and what they look like. Posting images of your child on social media brings a lot of danger not to mention endangering their privacy and personal information. Did you share a picture of a newborn along with their full name and date of birth on Facebook? How long do you think it would take someone to apply for Social Security number with that information? Credit card companies may not check date of birth before providing a credit card. Especially if they are offering people credit for the first time.
Some evil people could use social media to figure out where your child lives, goes to school and their patterns and routines. They could also learn about their likes and dislikes and use that to contact your child if they have their own social media accounts. Pedophiles love TikTok. Are you aware of what your child is doing online? How many friends do they have? What are they sharing? Pay attention! Don’t let social media babysit your children.
Your devices are telling it all
Very few people need to know where you are at all times. Spouse and children but few others. But your smartphone is the greatest spy the world has ever known. Your phone knows where you are all the times if you have not locked down the location settings. Same goes for your smart watch. These devices track your location 24/7.
And if the wrong person gets this information they know where to find you and possibly do you harm. These devices are extremely dangerous for people in bad marriages or relationships. They have allowed people to stalk spouses and former romantic partners relentlessly. Check the settings on your phone and turn off the location monitoring.
Your smartphone knows who you called and who you message. It knows what websites you visit. Including banking and shopping. Same thing for your internet connected tablet. Your location is known to anyone who can get access to your device or can install malware on it. And that’s easy. They just have to get you to click on the right link…in your social media feed!
Tracking devices
The newest and greatest tracking tool is the Apple AirTag. No larger than a coin it can be hidden anywhere allowing you to be followed anywhere. Other similar devices are known as Tiles. Is there an Airtag or Tile in your car or purse? How would you know?
If you own an iPhone running iOS 14.5 or newer you should receive a push alert whenever an unknown AirTag is nearby for an extended period of time and away from its owner. Apple does not provide an exact time frame for when this alert will happen.
Click on the iPhone alert for the suspicious AirTag and you may be given the option to play a sound on the AirTag to help find it. If your iPhone runs iOS 16.2 or later, you might be able to use precision location data to find the hidden device.
Apple’s App Store also offers a Tracker Detect app for Android phones. Google started rolling out automatic smartphone alerts for unknown bluetooth trackers, similar to what iPhone owners receive. The alerts will be available on smartphones running at least Android 6.0.
Personal Operational Security means to keep your personal business to yourself. Don’t tell the world where you are, where you’re going, or who you’re seeing. The federal government has term when it comes to protecting sensitive information. Its known as “Need to know.”
Now you know.
