When you think about protecting your privacy, you probably think about your Facebook data or text messages.
Several years ago, I worked as a video editor for a private investigations company.
I never actually went out on investigations personally, but worked with dozens of investigators who did.
Here are a few of the lessons I took away from reviewing hundreds of these cases.
Peoplefeltsafe because everything they knew to watch out for was apparently taken care of.
It didnt take long for someone toshatter the illusion of safety.
There is often a very large gap between how safe youareand how safe youfeel.
In an overwhelming majority of the cases,the subjectsnever even noticed.
Most of us would like to think that if someone were following us for a week, wed notice.
But the truth is most people wouldnt.
Zoom lenses meant they didnt need to be close to record subjects.
Sometimes, they would even park inside the subjects neighborhood.
Few people can tell the difference between a suspicious car and when a neighbor has a visitor over.
In short, if an investigator doesnt want his car to be noticed, it probably wouldnt be.
Investigators routinely avoided being spotted because no one was anticipating that theyd be followed by a stranger.
Since they dont expect it, they cant protect against it.
Investigators (or scammers, or stalkers, or peeping toms) can take advantage of these blind spots.
Since you cant anticipate unknown threats, protecting yourself from the threats you do know about is important.
Youre Constantly Broadcasting Information, Even When You Think You Arent
Privacy concerns existed before the internet.
Weve already established that an investigator could probably follow you without you noticing.
What would they learn from that, though?
The reports and video I dealt with gave a pretty solid glimpse into peoples lives.
And remember, location information leads to other information, as well.
If you visit a bar four times a week, one could reasonably assume youre an alcoholic.
Thetypical rules about photography rightsapplied to investigations as well.
If they could see it, they could shoot it.
Thats a lot of people who could find out about your habits.
Maybe stick toordering those sex toys onlineif you dont want others to know.
However, thats a pretty terrible way to live.
Instead, we need to change our understanding of what privacy is.
If you wanted to protect your privacy, youd kill the door and pull down the blinds.
In the modern world, its a little more complicated, but the principle is the same.
How you protect your privacy needs to take into account how you broadcast information.
In real life, the same applies.
If you dont want to be seen doing something, dont do it in view of the public.
Dont assume that youll be able to see anyone whos watching either.
In many cases, some of that information was pulled from the subjects Facebook profile.
Most of us are taught from a young age to be suspicious of strangers.
Being careless (or lazy) causes a ton of privacy vulnerabilities.
Locking down your Facebook to the public does nothing if you accept friend requests from strangers.
Other people may uselazy passwords and PINs.
Manystill dont use two-factor authentication.
Taking precautions to protect your data and your privacy isnt a chore invented by computer nerds to nag you.
Its a habit thats supposed to protect you all the time.
Theyre supposed to see to it that you dont fall victim to common problems.
Having a PIN on your phone isnt just there to protect you from foreign hackers.
It ensures that someone you know cant rifle through your private photos or messages.
Locking down your Facebook profile helps ensure that a private investigations company cant use your own profile against you.
Digital privacy isnt separate from the real world.
It coincides with it.
You dont need to be paranoid to protect yourself.
You just need to cover the basics that are so frequently neglected.
Illustration by Tara Jacoby, photos byDan FoyandJosh Hallett.
