Verifying Your Existence

 

The question of verification has grown to be larger than life.

It used to be a preoccupation that documents submitted in an application had to be examined and witnessed by an authorised third party as true and authentic.

All officially sounding and in actual physical process.

The temptation of human forgers then jumped on to digital and electronic communication and representation.

Authenticity is no longer confined as significant to just art pieces, printed psssports and land title deeds.

We now question the
validity of identities purporting to be our financiers, government reps, medical consultants, bosses, employees, fans, suppliers - and even ourselves.

That may be because we are dealing more in faceless transactions interacting with low cost maintained robots, software and AI.

The screen is what we touch, talk and manage in not just entertainment, but also for other essential activities in the course of contemporary life.

Hackers intercept the vulnerable points in such processes.  They can create false websites, stir fear on their targeted victims and mislead customers to part with what they really want, be it useful personal details or false consent.

Even videos and photos of events on social media can be put on to our minds and faces out of context, unverified and hijacked for less savoury known and unknown agendas.

Our own images can be transformed to Avatars, replicas of our own beings or artificial reconstructs of our likeness, but existing only in different worlds.

When more things need to be verified, as uncertainty can strike when we least expect it, a climate of reluctance can arise.

Commerce can also give us no choice as they promote more self service, online purchasing and reduction of human contact in sales, delivery and payment.

When websites, apps and  media content get hacked, our personal data fall into the hands of dark forces for future use.

When we deal face on in person, we can gauge and interact in better confidence about the viability and reality of a transaction.  Most of us are just not equipped to verify things subject to hidden manipulation through technological hype and ability.

#yongkevthoughts

Lurking Dangers In Over Using Cyberspace

There is nothing free for convenient access to Apps and information from the Web.

Something is taken by us inevitably for something else seemingly so amazingly without cost.

How much of yourself are you willing to give up, and how much of this can come back to bite you?    It is not just privacy, integrity, dependency, addiction and vulnerability that we are at risk of. There are health risks with over use of eyes and slack posture when dealing with mobile and desktop devices.

Human invented tech and devices have shown a long track record of being abused and misused, apart from bringing benefits.    The inter-connectivity of various smart devices can amplify the risks arising from just using one. 

On the other hand, it is not a zero sum game between us individuals and the powers that rule us in cyberspace.   The latter obviously make use of us, but how can we make use of them as well?   As with any danger, the first step is to realise and acknowledge. 

Then comes the greatest risk of all, to do nothing on our part. I observe users and the media continue to wallow in known risks, but carry on irregardless of the progress of the dangers posed. 

We continue to add more Apps, get reminders to update systems, rely on data tracking websites in our daily lives and get distracted by fancy gadgets which can work on the basis that they did not fully tell us the truth.

Our individual relaxation, commercial and usage patterns begin to be controlled by forces we normally do not want to be acquainted with.  Just like news of drug busts by authorities, the frequency of data hacking on a massive scale shows that reported incidents are really just the tip of the iceberg of events.   

Don't you want back a world which does not know so much of your identity, inner thoughts, activities and joy? 

Don't you want a world where aggressive, greedy and fraudulent intentions cannot continue so much to exploit you?

I have read unrequited, unnecessary, sensational and divisive comments, information and feedback on social media.   

A good first step in responding to this dangerous world is to moderate use of the mechanisms by which we are being exploited.

Use less Apps, less internet search engines, less storage mechanisms that deliver convenience but can disappear in the Cloud.   Always back up critical and significantly important data elsewhere in non-digital form.

Diversify your usage, storage, identity and communication activity across all fronts and do not put all your proverbial eggs in one basket. Over dependence can lead to obsession and higher risks.

Balance your lifestyle away from over interactions with machines, artificial intelligence and robots to deal more with humans and Nature.

Increase the use of your own brain, thinking and intelligence in various aspects of your own life.

Increase your self realisation and recognition of hype in the promotion of more products, newer models and temporary fun on a regular basis.

Where possible, go direct to the source of information and assistance. Be wary of middle parties and brokers lurking in cyberspace.

Get more healthy sensations elsewhere instead of overly depending on wi-fi. 

Feel the love of your pet, look up to the sky, just talk with family and friends face to face or learn a craft, instead of constantly just pressing our thumbs on electronic devices.

Plant something natural, watch it grow and enjoy its harvests. 

I assure you the experience can be better than keeping track of the number of likes on an App.

Always be mindful that cyberspace tech is a tool to be utilised by us - and not the other way around.


#yongkevthoughts

The Search in Cyberspace

On the Internet, we type in the key words and click on a search engine before finding their top suggestions.   

Numerous search platforms have risen in as many previous years.  Is the process for individual users as direct and simple as going through manual directories, conversational checks with mates or walking around a suburban shopping strip?

Contemporary society may seem to enable things on a faster and more accessible basis, but what is the hidden price for users?  A key feature of daily life as we approach the iconic year of 2020 is the less need to physically be at the source of your products and services, whilst surrendering much privacy to the electronic channels that enable such convenient transactions.    Cyberspace increasingly dominates as the delivery channel, all as part of the overall picture of so called automated script and other artificial intelligence coming to every one of us in daily life experiences.   The information comes to us without us never having to get out of our seated position in front of a screen -  but that only operates if you have access to your wi-fi or phone coverage.

The dominating feature in cyberspace is the trail each of us leaves on every finger tap we make, let us call them "clicks" as a broad term of reference.   These clicks make it ridiculously easy to take us to images, data and knowledge we require or seek.  The trail of clicks, like any human idea or invention, can be misused.   The profile such clicks build of us, whether by waving a smart payment card, tap on web links or in exchange of messages, can be huge and yet most of us do not question the risks, implied and real, in developing such a trail of clicks.  

When we chat face to face in person with someone else  - and not utilising any smart machine  - the chances of the memory of such an encounter remains most likely only with the participants  - unless there is a roving drone or satellite over head taking photographs of our encounter.   

If you carry your smart phone with you whilst having a conversation, some party somewhere in the proverbial internet Cloud has noted where this conversation has taken place.    You may not fully realise that by having your smart phone beside you always, you have voluntarily enabled the most powerful tracking device to monitor your movement. Yet being easily located is useful when one is lost on a hiking trail, need a shared ride service or when individuals really wants to be known where they are.

Commerce finds accessibility to such personal profiles  of actual and potential customers a mine full of golden opportunity.   What irritates me is the commercial presumption that each of us will continue to behave the same in the future.   You would most likely have had the experience of being hassled through cyberspace communication channels to buy more of recent purchase.    We may also be offered unsolicited recommendations to acquire similar and comparable products or from different brands.   These so called artificial "intelligence" channels interact with us as if we do not a right to change our mind or want to explore new products or experiences.

My other pet dislike is the quick arrival of surveys questioning about my experience of a recent transaction or goods receipt.   This may be for relatively minor commercial transactions.   Even questions are asked by the courier company, apart from the party that sells the product.   This hard push of incessant request for feedback turns me off.   The feedback asked is generated by faceless software.

How are the rankings in search engines arranged when we look for answers through them?  Do the top web links that jump up at our face for attention really that good and popular?  Be cautious and beware that most things in search engines are not what they appear to be.   Those suggested web links at the top of the page can range from advertisement supported matters to dodgy information in relation to what you want.   The key words you choose to write and click are important for the search logic utilised by different search engines can vary.   At times, there is an over load of suggested web links.    Some web links that come up front at the top  do so due to the number of hits, but again be wary of such a measure.    Do be cautious to only click on valid websites that answer your query, especially in internet banking,  for search engines are one source of also leading us to fictitious and dubious links.    When in doubt, let it go and ignore such web links that send you vibes of fraud and low quality.   Look at the wording of the web link, the words chosen, whether they are from a foreign country and its over all feel.

Not under our personal control when using cyberspace is a trail and life of what is created, stored and deleted by us.   In real life, we draw our window blinds, shred our paper records and are discrete in what we tell strangers and casual friends.   On the internet, hackers and unauthorised parties are determined enough to uncover such trails about ourselves even if you had consciously deleted your log of search matters.   Each of us have to come to terms as to what the implications are what we have in cyberspace.    

Intrusive adverts or website invites pop up in unexpected moments when we use the internet.  Often, we should not surprised,  for the nature of such pop ups relate to something we have used before or searched in the past.   One of the more irritating things is that the operators out there know in which physical part of the Earth you are located.   Providers recommended to you seem to be localised in where they are. It is not amazing that there are providers which have invested huge sums in location enabled software or applications. 


Gone are the days when you bask in your own private glory when searching for knowledge - unless you still visit the local library and search for information amongst the book shelves.    There can be personal benefits in being able to go back to a recorded trail in cyberspace of what you have searched in the past ten  years.   The question you have to answer your self is whether the dangers and pitfalls are worth the convenience.