Online Security Services

Just as threats and attacks against judges, police officers and social workers have increased dramatically over the past decade, so too have threats risen against other politicians and public officials.

You’ll see plenty of blogs on our website about how easily your private data can be collected and sold. What still occasionally surprises us is the sheer volume of entities engaged in these collections and sales.

That’s why a recent article in Scientific American caught our eye. It states:

We know you would probably prefer not to think about tax returns until next April approaches. But what if we told you that information in returns you already filed may have been given to Meta, Facebook’s parent company, by the firm you trusted to safeguard your private information?

Apparently that’s exactly what happened, according to a new federal government report.

Most ransomware attacks and phishing schemes in public and private sector entities are successful because someone in that organization clicks on a link that gives the hackers access to their systems – and personal data on their personnel.

There are numerous ways to make one of these links seem authentic, and one of the latest may be among the most deceptive.

With Twitter in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past couple of years, Meta (formerly Facebook) saw an opportunity to launch a competitor – and it seems to be succeeding.

What is Threads?

The service, dubbed Threads, was promoted as “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations." Ten million people signed up in its first seven hours after launch, and it has now topped 30 million users in less than one week.

Health care, like many other goods and services consumers use every day, has largely moved online. From prescription notifications to appointment reminders to telehealth consultations, doctors and medical practices routinely communicate with patients via email and websites.

But that convenience may come with a price – the selling and sharing of your private information to marketers and other agencies online.

“USA! We’re Number One!” chants may sound great at political rallies and Olympic events, but they would not be accurate when it comes to protecting the privacy of its citizens.

California State Senator Josh Becker introduced legislation this month that would put further restrictions on how data brokers can collect and maintain information.

While California has already set the standard for online privacy, Becker’s bill (SB 362) would impose additional requirements on the companies and sites most responsible for selling and sharing state residents' private data.

How many times have we heard it – the more information you provide online, the easier it is for a company to serve you. Of course, that data is valuable to companies and websites for many other reasons as well – and what they do with that data can expose your home address and other private content to marketers, and to other entities that won’t care very much about protecting it.

We believe every judge must have confidence in their personal security, and the safety of their families, as they work to deliver equal justice under the law. But new threats have emerged over the past decade that must be acknowledged, and addressed.

Ron Zayas, CEO of 360Civic and its IronWall360 privacy protection service, has written an article on this vital issue that has been published in the current edition of Court Review magazine.