Did you download the latest...?

My last post on sharing banking credentials is common knowledge for everyone.  This time, I'm writing about a topic that's more relevant to today's generation - torrents.

Its an open secret that most people pirate online using torrents.  But we shouldn't take it for granted just because a lot of people do it.  Simply because your mom or cousin asked you to download that old Chandrababu song, it doesn't make it legal.  Of course, I'm not going to say that you shouldn't do it or that I've never done it.  But at least be aware of what you are doing and be cautious.  I've seen people send torrent files over e-mail.  Movie/game studios in India are not (yet) suing individuals over pirated downloads, but it happens in US.  Soon, it might happen here as well.  If/when such a day comes, your e-mail can and will be used against you.

Why would gmail or yahoo give your private e-mails to movie studios, you ask?  Well, there are ways a company can ask the government to force another company to give their data about you.  "There is no such law in India", you say.  Well, not now, but in the near future?  As it is right now, the Indian government is applying pressure on companies like facebook and google to open servers in India so that the government can monitor and have more control (laws) over the data.  Indian government already ranks second highest in the number of requests for user information to facebook.

I've also seen people post screenshots of their torrent downloads in facebook.  Some people post that they are going to download a torrent or even link to a torrent.  You may feel that you have a right to do this or that the copyright laws are unfair.  Well, I too feel that way but still, are you ready to go to court with that defense?  There are already instances of ordinary people getting arrested over facebook posts, though that was for political reasons.  Just one step away.

Lets assume that such a future never pans out.  Lets assume that corporate companies never get around to taking action against individuals.  Still, past online activities can also affect your job application.  How?  Well, certain companies research online including social networks about their potential employees.  I've even heard of instances abroad where the company asks for the candidate's facebook password.  But why would the company care if you downloaded Titanic?  Maybe you are applying for a movie studio or maybe its an IT company and wants to see whether you respect copyright laws (which is vital for IT companies).

This may surprise you, but Indian IT companies have started looking into social networks like linkedIn for potential hires.  I first read about this last month but then last week, I met a few people who came for an interview because the company had called them directly after seeing their linkedIn page.

None of this has an immediate impact on anyone's life today, but its worth being cautious about because we can never really predict the future.

Share your money but not your password

Everyone knows what a password is and why we should never share it.  The same applies for credit/debit card details as well.  We often make online transactions and its fine, because banks and online shops take extra care to safeguard their websites and your communication with their websites.  For example, banking sites use https protocol which is relatively more secure.  Now, https is not a fool-proof solution against hacking but the technology is not really the biggest issue.  Like IT companies say, the real crack in the armor is us, people.  All the technology in the world can't save you when you write your banking credentials in a clean white sheet and leave it in the backseat of a call taxi.

Which idiot would do that, you ask?  Well, I've seen a few people send credit card or bank account credentials through SMS.  Say you send the message and immediately delete it from your phone.  Great!  But the person who received your message, might have a fancy android mobile.  He is a bit lazy, like me and so he makes use of an app to sync his mobile messages with his PC so that he can reply to and read SMS from his computer (like me  :D).  Now, after receiving the message with banking details, he deletes it from his mobile.  Smart thinking.  But the message is already synced into the app's online database.  Say, the app was developed by 3 to 4 guys during their free-time.  They don't have the time or money to set-up additional security for their website or database.  Besides, they'll be thinking, why does an SMS syncing app need additional security?  That means, they can be hacked easily compared to your banking website.

All this might sound too complicated, but its not really.  But then you might say, "I haven't heard of something like this happen even in USA".  Not yet, but 5 years ago did you think that you will pay your TV bill online?  We can't guess what'll happen 5 years from now.  You may forget about the SMS that you sent and you may not have even had 100 rupees in the account when you sent it, but 4 years later, that account might have your life's savings and the password will still be the same and that information will still be available out there somewhere.  If it still sounds implausible, what if the receiver didn't delete the message and his mobile gets stolen the next day?  And there are many more possible risks that I can think of and there are a lot more I don't even know about.

So how the hell are we supposed to protect ourselves from these unknown threats, you ask?  Well, its simple, use common sense.  a) don't send passwords and sensitive information over SMS or email.  b) if you have to for some urgent need, change the password by the end of that day.  Now, that's simple, isn't it?  There is no point in being lazy and then blaming the new technology for being unsafe.

This is only part-one; there is more to come..  :P