Years ago everybody talked on the phone. The kind of telephones we had back then all had cables and you could actually see how they connected from your house to that box on the street. When you sent a letter, you licked the back of the envelope and closed it, and if anybody tried to open your letter you would certainly be able to tell.

Next came email and cellphones, and we're all still thinking that our conversations and email are private.

 

In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

Along with the clarity of digital cellphones and the speed and reliability of email, we started losing control of our privacy.

But who cares about privacy? I'm not hiding anything?

Really? Then how about sending me your medical records? What about your last few months worth of credit card statements? And while you're at it, if you don't mind, include the numbers from your passport and drivers license.

Don't stop there. Remember that email you sent to your business partner about that important deal, you know, the one with all the pricing projections? You wouldn't mind if I just have a quick look at it, would you?

And what about that email you got from your kids about what happend in the house when you were on that business trip?

 

The reality is that all of these things that people commonly email go through many networks on the way to their destination, and at each point in the network, they're archived and scanned. Today email can last forever.

 

That's right- your personal information, your deals, your private correspondence, everything you email is basically an open book to your Internet Service Provider, your cable or phone company, and a lot of other people and companies you don't even know about.

 

When you send a letter from the post office, there's a basic presumption of privacy that governs the way we think about how personal correspondence should be. It still works with regular mail, to some degree. But somewhere along the way, we lost track of what's happening with our email and personal computers and forgot about the importance of keeping our privacy.

 

The law doesn't protect individual privacy, and the internet is a hostile environment. But that doesn't mean you have to open your business or your personal life to anyone just to use email. There are solutions.

 

Privacy Systems, Ltd. has the knowledge and the tools to provide anyone who needs it with a secure, end-to-end email system that guarantees privacy, security, and authentication. We'll discuss these concepts and go into more detail on the risks of living and working in the Information Age later on.

 

Let us know if we can help you.