Cybersecurity in our future

I received an email earlier this week that provoked thought. It was a familiar message that I have skipped past many times before and one that told me nothing I hadn’t been warned about repeatedly, but for some reason, I stopped to digest it this time. The message read, “Hi Mike, To protect your privacy, this is a reminder that you have Location History turned on.” The note explained, “Location History is a Google Account setting that creates Timeline, a personal map that helps you remember places you’ve been, and routes and trips you’ve taken.”

It then gave a quick spiel about how advertisers could target me with stuff they think I’ll want to buy, followed audaciously by the simple sentence, “You’re in control.” It then gave instructions for managing location history and even offered a link to where I can turn location settings off.

I don’t know why I was feeling so curious that day. It may have been the recent story about 89 Russian soldiers killed in a rocket attack because someone carelessly used their cell phone on a battlefield, or the recent resurgence of flip phones among the Gen Z crowd, but I clicked on the link. It took me directly to a map that showed me everywhere I had been in the past 18 months. In this case, “everywhere” included both places I had forgotten that I had visited and the corresponding dates.

I don’t think I have been particularly naive about tracking technology. I have known for some time that my online clicks were being tracked for advertising purposes. I also knew that if I were unwise enough to earn the attention of law enforcement, the GPS capabilities and tower handshakes on my cell phone would make their job of finding me immensely easier.

Like many, I had heard the warnings about our loss of privacy and the potential for misuse of personal information by bad actors (the criminal types, not the Nicolas Cage variety), but was confident that location tracking wasn’t a problem for me. My thought was always that I shouldn’t worry if I have nothing to hide. Most of my youthful hooliganism took place while rotary wall phones were still in use, and the Tea Party people haven’t issued a fatwa in my name yet, so I should be OK, right?

I no longer think so. Seeing that map pop up so effortlessly was jarring. It only took one click from that link to remind me that I went down to Oberlin to watch our community band for the Fourth of July. I could also see the week I spent in Kearney back in 2021. It was truly disturbing.

Make no mistake. I will remain a fan of the internet. It has given me far more than it can ever take. For me, the novelty of carrying the wisdom of the world around in my shirt pocket has not worn off, but I am beginning to come around to the realization that cybersecurity is more than a blip on the radar. It’s becoming a big, big deal in our lives and is not going away.

In late 2021, a poll conducted in part by the Associated Press indicated that 91% of Americans were at least “somewhat concerned” about cyberattacks on financial institutions, which included 60% who were “very concerned.” A similar number worried about attacks by foreign entities sponsored by China, Russia, Iran, and unaffiliated groups.

As a nation, we are only beginning to wake up to the fact that a coordinated cyberattack on our energy grid would be every bit as devastating as the nuclear attack we feared for nearly half of the last decade. Hospitals, schools, municipalities, and communications infrastructure have all been subject to attacks in recent years. Some are believed to have been probed by hostile foreign governments, while others were driven by profit motives. The intelligence community tells us that many are hybrids; non-state actors to whom states hostile toward ours turn a blind eye to ransomware operations and other efforts that compromise national security and disrupt our economy.

Our Federal Government’s expenditures on cybersecurity are budgeted at $10.89 billion for 2023, and the Stamford-based tech research firm Gartner recently projected global spending on cybersecurity to surpass $260 billion by 2026. Another study by Hiscox estimates that 21% of corporate IT budgets are now spent on cybersecurity, up from only 13% in 2020.

As I look at those numbers, several thoughts come to mind, not the least of which is a prescient stock tip. Companies in the cybersecurity sector are expected to do very well in the coming years, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to point some of our 401K funds in that direction. It also provides fodder for young folks in search of a career path, or entrepreneurs looking for new business models to explore.

The larger issue in my mind is the new reality that will be with us for many years to come. As we become increasingly connected by the “internet of things,” cybersecurity will undoubtedly become a greater part of our lives, and of those who follow us.

For perspective, I think of the wonder of electricity and all it has done for us, but with a few electrocutions and fires to be mitigated along the way. I also think of the explosion of travel and suburban life that followed the introduction of the automobile, and seatbelts, airbags, turn signals, brake lights, and all of the other innovations that made the wonder of individual mobility safer.

I am in no way pessimistic about the future of technology. I have great expectations for our futures and for the generations that will follow, but that map got my attention. Cybersecurity is a very real issue for us. It’s not going to go away, but it’s also no excuse to become a Luddite. We will meet the challenges that accompany technological advancement with the same innovation and dexterity that have accompanied technical advances throughout history. If you are interested, the link that caught my attention can be found at timeline.google.com