In the previous episode, we discussed how using TARTLE can help save your life. Now, let’s talk about how we can improve your quality of life.
One of the most pressing problems we have today is that people don’t know the value of their data. We find ourselves giving away a treasure trove of information in exchange for meager services, like access to our ancestry or participation in a social network.
Big tech and other companies make so much money out of our data. It’s time we take back what’s rightfully ours.
We are allowing big tech to create a captain’s log of every human being there is. We are giving them the power to look over our shoulders while we write down our most secret desires, while we report the outcomes of our day to day activities.
It’s a violation of our right to privacy and it happens on a daily basis. We need to wake up now, before it gets even worse.
At the rate we’re going, we are allowing other companies to take data out of our human body. And then they conceal their intentions behind 200 pages of legal mumbo jumbo, and then they go ahead and make $600 billion off of our human work.
We’ve got a term for it here: data slavery.
What’s extra insidious about this is that it’s happening right under our noses, as we speak. We wouldn’t let other companies like Walmart get away with slave labor, so why do we let it happen with our personal information?
These companies may not be stealing to your face, but that doesn’t make it okay. You deserve to know that you are being farmed for your data and that other people are making money off of you.
You are a unique human being. Throughout your existence, you’ve created thoughts, actions, and preferences that are valuable to the evolution of humanity. You do not deserve to become a pawn in someone else’s convoluted gamble for profit and power.
TARTLE is designed to allow people to feel a sense of reciprocity. That they’re actually getting what they deserve. The platform is a more ethical and sustainable way of sharing data.
On the TARTLE Marketplace, you get to choose how much data you share. You can capture your ancestry, genomic sequencing, social determinants of health, and more. Once you’re done uploading that information, you can choose who you sell that data to. That’s how important your consent is to us. You are a part of the process every step of the way.
You also get to keep all of the money you earn from TARTLE. We do not take a cut from your hard work.
What’s your data worth? Sign up for the TARTLE Marketplace through this link here.
Peter Schawacker has been involved in cybersecurity long before data breaches commonly made the headlines. In fact, he’s been helping businesses secure their data long before it was even called cyber security. Currently, he is heading the IT Security Team for Axiom Technology Group. In his career, he has been working with some of the biggest names in the business to protect their data and that of their customers.
The demand for the kinds of services that Peter provides has gone up a lot in recent years, particularly amongst private equity (PE) firms. In the past, such businesses didn’t concern themselves much with cyber security, leaving it up to the portfolio managers and others to deal with. However, the sheer number of security breaches and the resulting scrutiny that brings has forced them to rethink their priorities and take responsibility for their own security. Many of these PE firms are also small to mid-size, which is partly why they haven’t been able to keep up with the latest developments. They just don’t have the scale and resources needed to handle security on their own. That also makes these firms tempting targets. They have enough data and money to make it worth attacking but not so much that the companies or the government will spend a lot of resources to go after the hackers. Fortunately, Axiom is there to pick up the slack.
One of the most important services that Axiom provides is a full survey of the weaknesses a given firm might have, delivering around 200 security assessments a year, with approximately a quarter of those experiencing some kind of cyberattack. Performing this task well and transparently has earned both Axiom and Peter solid reputations as transparent, honest, and interested in keeping the client’s interests foremost. This seems like it should be a no brainer but as Peter points out, there are a lot of charlatans in the cyber world, less interested in helping their clients solve problems than they are in making as much money as possible from each client. This is just bad practice. It means not only that a given security company will lose the trust and business of their clients when they figure out that they are being taken for a ride, it harms the trust in the cyber security industry as a whole.
There is also the fact that most firms, PE and otherwise are looking to implement the least amount of security possible. This isn’t because they don’t care about their clients’ data, but because at the end of the day they need to make money, which in turn means any Axiom client is looking for the lowest cost services that will bring their risk of a data breach down to an acceptable level. Because the sad truth is that it is incredibly unlikely that data will ever be 100% protected. Someone will always leave a password out or share it when they shouldn’t and a hacker will use it to disrupt a firm’s systems, only letting them go when their ransom is paid.
When interacting with clients, it is important to keep all of this in mind so you don’t oversell them. It’s also worth keeping in mind that most people don’t know the details of cyber security and frankly, they don’t want to know. All they want to know is how you can help them and how much it is going to cost. If someone is ever trying to convince you how awesome security is, they are almost certainly trying to sell a bill of goods.
Another thing Peter goes into is who makes the best cyber security professionals. It isn’t who you might think. People who go through a specific IT program are usually farther behind the curve on the latest development and too rigid in their thinking. The best hires for him tend to be high school teachers and musicians. Both are capable of thinking critically and still improvising when needed.
What does Peter think is the most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to dealing with cyber security? Finding who you can trust. The person who knows his stuff, can deliver on time and isn’t trying to oversell you. That is the person who has your interest at heart, who wants to make your systems secure without taking you for a ride.
What’s your security worth? Sign up and join the TARTLE Marketplace with this link here.
Let's talk about cybersecurity. The other day, Alex and Jason got to sit down for an interview with Jason Loomis, the Chief Information Officer for Mindbody. What is Mindbody? It is a cloud business for anything that has to do with health and wellness. As Mr. Loomis himself puts it, if you have a gym, acupuncture clinic, a hair salon or anything of the kind, Mindbody will handle all the tedious activities that need to be done for a business to function but no one actually enjoys. They handle the booking of appointments, paying employees, billing customers, scheduling classes, marketing and pretty much anything else having to do with the annoying paperwork side of the organization. That leaves you free to come up with new ideas and spend more time having actual conversations with your staff and customers. Mindbody got started about twenty years ago as many companies do, in a garage. Since then, the company has grown considerably and is used by a large number of gyms and other establishments in various areas of the country.
Not that it has always been a smooth and linear development. One thing that Mindbody has been working on the last couple of years is being more agile. That means doing a better job of listening to more customers in a shorter period of time and being able to act on that. The last year only provided the latest example of that need. Given all of the lockdowns that plagued a number of businesses, especially the kinds of the businesses that Mindbody serves, they had to find new ways to deliver service. Fortunately, their customers knew the solution, stream workout classes over the internet. That opened up a whole new avenue for Mindbody that allowed them to serve their customers when many were stuck at home.
Since TARTLE is all about data, we had to know a little bit about how Mindbody looks at data. Given that the company is an app that provides services entirely through the internet, it should not be surprising that they place a high premium on data. One way they do this is paying attention to how many people are doing what with their service. This allows them to see where they need to focus, what areas need improvement and which are doing great. The result is a continually improving suite of services that drives revenue for Mindbody and for the businesses they serve. It even helps the customers of those businesses because it makes it easier for them to interact with their gym or salon.
They also place a high premium on data privacy, taking steps to anonymize the data they glean from their app, allowing them to get the information they need without tying it to specific individuals. They take security seriously as well, often going behind the mere requirements of the law to ensure that people are protected, encrypting data in order to ensure their customers’ information is kept private. Mindbody actually has a comprehensive security program. They are big enough that they can provide much more secure services than a lot of smaller competitors but small enough to be much more agile in responding to issues than the big corporations.
Security has become a much bigger issue in the age of COVID. When everyone is working at the office, security is fairly easy. Everyone is working behind the same firewall, using the same VPN and whatever other protocols may be in play. When everyone works from home, there are a variety of different security levels to be concerned with. You will have some with security on a par with the office or even better. Others will be getting their work done at the local Panera on an unsecured browser and allow their laptops to be discovered on the public network by any rando in the place. Fortunately, Mindbody takes that seriously, even though there is no direct revenue from it. That’s because they do something that too many don’t do these days. They put people before revenue. They understand that on the other end of their apps are real people who are affected directly by any sort of breach. That commitment to people first is why Mindbody is successful and why TARTLE is happy to count them amongst the data champions.
What’s your data worth? Sign up and join the TARTLE Marketplace with this link here.
NuWave, known for data analytics just bought Big Bear which provides a lot of cloud computing and storage services. Why does this matter? It matters because both are contractors to the US government, including the NSA. Naturally, that means they are (or better be) very concerned with security. After all, it’s hard to go more than a day or two without learning about a major data breach at a national corporation or even the government itself getting hacked. Cybersecurity has never been more in the forefront.
We at TARTLE get questions about cybersecurity all the time. After all, we are asking people who sign up with us to funnel their data through our servers, so the concern is understandable. And it should go without saying that we take every precaution to ensure that you data is secure with us. With that said, there some additional points to make concerning cybersecurity and our overall approach to data as a society.
One is that the term cybersecurity implies something entirely new. The truth is, it isn’t. Sure, the digital aspect is new, but take that away and it’s simply information security, something that has been a concern for as long as people have been sharing information they didn’t want others to see. Think back just a few decades. In WWII and other wars following, if there was information that had to be shared quickly it was done over the radio, using equipment that was available to even the poorest people within range. In order to keep sensitive information out of enemy hands, it was necessary to develop unique code systems. Yet, those systems were still at risk. Someone could always break the code, which of course applied pressure to develop ever more complex, or at least unexpected codes. Even before that, sensitive information was literally transported by men carrying letters on horseback. All one had to do was capture the carrier and read the letters. And then – well you get the picture. It’s always been important and difficult to secure sensitive information, all that has changed is the medium in which we do it.
Another point is how comfortable we are with sharing information already. How many social media platforms are you signed up with? How many streaming services? Heck, do you have a smartphone? We know for a fact that many of these companies are already collecting all your data and using it to target specific advertising to you with the sole goal of parting you from your money. They also have no qualms at all about selling your data to third parties for ends that we simply have no way of knowing. And it’s no secret at this point that smartphones are listening to your conversations and adjusting ads accordingly. What about every website with a notice about cookies and you have to accept or decline? Most of us accept the terms without giving it a second thought. Yet, we know full well that they are tracking our activity online. The only question is how much are they tracking and whether or not they are doing anything we don’t know. Shop online? That means your credit card number or PayPal account information is stored on someone’s server somewhere.
Finally, many social media companies have shown a disturbing willingness to share data with or adjust their search parameters according to the whims of government authorities, even foreign governments who have demonstrated that they are more than happy to use technology to oppress people.
Being concerned with security in the digital world is a good thing and it would be a lot better if more people were more conscious about the vulnerability of their data. Signing up with TARTLE is actually an important step in not just controlling how your data gets shared but in better protecting your data whether you share it or not. With our VPN and firewalls your data will be at least as secure with us as with anyone else. Even better, we won’t sell it behind your back and if you want to sell it, you are the one who gets rewarded.
What’s your data worth? Sign up and join the TARTLE Marketplace with this link here.
Everyone knows what cookies are. Those annoying little bits of code that follow you everywhere on the internet. Nearly every website has them and they use them to determine your browsing and shopping habits so they can put the most tantalizing ads in front of you. They also sell all that sweet, sweet data to others so they can tailor their own marketing. If it bothers you that all of these different companies are tracking you so closely, you aren’t alone.
Don’t worry though! Google ‘may’ have found a ‘privacy friendly’ substitute for cookies. You’ll pardon us if we don’t break out the party hats and spinners just yet. First, what do they mean by ‘may’? Did they or did they not? If you don’t know, kindly come back to me when you do. Second, what would this substitute be exactly? And what does ‘privacy friendly’ mean? After all, if you are being tracked, you’re being tracked – period. If the trackers don’t directly know your name or address it hardly matters. They still know where to find you online, which is the main point anyway. But, let’s delve into this a bit.
Now Google, Apple, and Mozilla all say they are phasing out tracking software. If that’s true, then it would be surprising. After all, cookies have been a vital part of the internet’s marketing ecosystem, a system collectively worth around $330 billion. I wouldn’t be expecting these companies to leave all that money on the table. If you think about it, all of these companies have tracking and invading people’s privacy as a fundamental part of their business model.
So, what is their claim? How will these companies be protecting your privacy while still raking in plenty of cash? They are calling it ‘Federated Learning of Cohorts’ (FLOC). What is this FLOC? It’s an Application Programming Interface (API) that replaces cookies and would exist as a browser extension. It’s unclear how different in practice this will actually be from cookies. The primary difference, for now, looks to be that it will put the choice of whether or not they are used in the hands of the user. Which is actually good. At least you can more readily consent to being tracked by everyone you go.
Naturally, not everyone is happy with this development. Facebook in particular has voiced displeasure with Apple’s transition to FLOC and other privacy changes in the App Store. Yet, do they really have much to be concerned about? Google for example has said they are taking an ‘industry first’ approach and not transitioning away from cookies in the immediate future. Note that bit about ‘industry first’. This approach allows time for Facebook, Twitter, and everyone else to find ways to adapt to the situation. Eventually, they will move away from cookies altogether but not before ways can be found to keep that $330 billion train rolling. They’ll keep the cash and claim victory for privacy rights. Or to borrow a phrase, they’ll have their cake and eat it too.
Another clue that this is really what is going is the word ‘may’ that was used at the beginning. They aren’t definitely going with FLOC and they are trying out different approaches. Whatever they land on will likely be sold as a ‘balance between the interest of individuals and the industry as a whole’. Which is just a fancy way of saying not much is really changing.
Instead of an ‘industry first’ mentality, might we at TARTLE suggest another approach? How about trying a ‘people first’ approach. Start with the idea that these people own their own data and if you want it, they have to choose to give it to you. In fact, maybe you’ll have to pay them for it and share some of that $330 billion. That’s treating data, and the people behind it like they are worth something like they are sovereign individuals. And that is a little revolution.
What’s your data worth? Sign up and join the TARTLE Marketplace with this link here.
The rise of the digital age has brought with it a lot of benefits. More efficient operations, better data sharing, faster customer service, next day delivery, and access to information at the drop of a hat. However, it also comes with a dark side or two. One of those dark sides is the advent of ransomware.
Nearly every week there is news of a significant data breach at a major corporation and many of those breaches involve some kind of ransomware. Ransomware comes in various forms. In broad strokes, it is software installed by blackhat hackers that can be used to disable or disrupt that corporation’s operations unless the hackers are paid to remove that software. There are a lot of ways those disruptions can occur. They can lock down your servers, threaten to steal private data, threaten to release said data, threaten to release a virus into your system, or release a virus and then demand payment to get rid of it.
No matter what form it takes, ransomware is a menace and one that is growing, it currently is tied to about half of the data breaches in the healthcare industry. Given the intimacy of the data there and the importance of hospitals being able to keep their systems running, this is very concerning.
So, how do they get in? There are lots of ways that a creative and malicious hacker can get into a company’s servers. One of the more common and ironic ways they do this is by looking for backdoors in that company’s VPN. Once they are in, it is fairly easy to take control of an entire organization’s data and threaten to delete or release it. What is particularly galling is that they tend to take the ‘nice guy’ approach. The hacker group will email the target organization and just inform them that they noticed there was this problem and some bad things ‘could’ happen. Unless you pay them to ‘fix’ it of course. ‘Hey, buddy, nice servers full of data you have there. Sure would be a shame if something happened to them.’ So, you can pay them, or take a chance that might allow them to delete or release your data. None of those options is good. Paying them just incentivizes the behavior. Letting them delete the data would be a massive loss (unless you have a backup). And of those options, it could be argued pretty convincingly that the release of data is the worst. After all, in that situation, everyone knows that you got hacked and no one believes they can trust you with their data anymore. You could always get your IT department on the job and fix the issue themselves. However, that often takes a lot of time, time that the hackers will most likely not allow.
Fortunately, the various VPNs that are available are getting on top of this and frantically plugging all those backdoor security holes. However, you actually need to update your software. If you don’t, you miss all those fresh new security updates and you are leaving yourself open to attack. And honestly, if you are being lazy about updating your VPN or antivirus software, then you really only have yourself to blame if you get attacked. Or if your IT department isn’t staying on top of it, get new IT people. The dangers of leaving yourself exposed are not exactly a secret. If the issue isn’t with them, but with the software company not releasing updates fast enough, get your IT people to find new software. There are a lot of options out there.
One option that you as an individual can take is to sign up with TARTLE. The data we store is double encrypted – we can’t even get at it. That adds security to your data and puts you back in control. Companies can join us as well and include their data as part of the TARTLE data marketplace. That way you are putting your data further out of reach of bad actors and opening up another revenue stream as well.
What’s your data worth? Sign up and join the TARTLE Marketplace with this link here.
The world is full of lines. They are everywhere, they are on the road, on walls, on maps, in the sand, in our minds. Like I said, everywhere. The lines themselves are like a tool, they can be good or bad. Lines on the road keep us from driving off into a ditch or into oncoming traffic. A line on a wall might lead the way to an exit in an emergency. The lines on a map represent the separation between a horrible dictatorship and a free and prosperous country. However, a line can also be totally arbitrary and be based on not on protecting or helping people but on manipulating or separating them.
A while back we talked about how some manufacturing companies would set their production goals by drawing a line on the wall. So along as the product stacked up at least as high as the line at the end of the day everything was good. If not, the bosses were upset and looking for ways to get people to be more efficient, which in the minds of too many means firing people in the hopes of finding someone to work faster. Not to mention scaring people into working faster.
Or back to the example of the map. Look at the lines in the Middle East and Africa. A lot of those countries didn’t exist as defined entities until after WWI and some as recently as WWII. Those lines were drawn arbitrarily as the empires of France, Britain, and the rest of the European powers retreated. Those lines have not exactly been beneficial for humanity.
Let’s spend some more time though with a couple of mental or psychological lines, one is the bottom line and the other is the line between risk and reward. The bottom line of course is a big deal for business. If your bottom line isn’t big enough, you won’t be in business for long. So it’s a valid concern. However, it can become too big of a focus. When it becomes all consuming, your business has gone from the beneficial endeavor it started out as to a monster intent on growing itself regardless of who get in the way.
Our attitude towards the bottom line also has an effect on that risk/reward line. On one hand, a desire to grow the bottom line can drive a person to take a little more risk in the hopes of doing so. An excessive focus on that line has a tendency to make a person overly cautious to avoid any risk if it means a potential loss of money. That leads to absolute stagnation.
The other big thing in that equation that is often neglected is people. Could the risky endeavor help people or not? Could it be a benefit not just to oneself but to others? Could it just be something that leads to a breakthrough in technology, or expanding our knowledge?
Think back to the birth of the digital age in the 1990s. The tech world was bursting at the seams with innovation. New programs, hardware and applications for them were being developed faster than it was possible to keep track of them. Suddenly we could snap photos, get directions, make calls, and keep in contact with friends old and new almost anywhere. Computers and programs to make them useful became affordable for almost everyone who wanted them. How was all that possible?
The venture capitalists back then understood that to get some reward, you needed to take some risk. They put forth some of their money understanding that they might lose it. But they saw the risk as being worth the potential reward. Whether their motive was profit or helping people, they understood that to make progress of any kind you have to be willing to take a risk. Today, everyone is more interested in how money is going to get made than in the idea and its potential. We need to recover some of that spirit, that desire to take risk, to get out in front before anyone else.
TARTLE is doing that, getting out before others and creating a new way of looking at and treating data. With your help, we can remind others that we need to get back to people, back to being willing to take a chance. That’s the only way anything worth doing gets done.
What’s your data worth? Sign up and join the TARTLE Marketplace with this link here.
