Physical and digital security

 

Hi gang.

 

I have been trying to send out something more often, but I have not done as good a job.

I tried using Constant Contact and MailChimp, but they charge, and this is not meant to be cash producing, so I said no.  Sorry if the posts are not pretty.

I may start keeping a copy on some place like BlogSpot or some place like that. We shall see.

 

If this or any other of my posts is useful, please feel free to forward.

 

I had intended to have a series with a friendly plumber I know, but personal issues have gotten in the way for both him and me.

 

In any event.

 

The 2 issues I want to talk about are physical security of your home and  digital security of your communications.

 

PHYSICAL SECURITY

AS we are all aware, the pandemic and the riots have made physical security of homes and businesses a much greater issue than before.

The riots, the incursions, the problem, all add up to something that makes one think about how to maintain security at home.

I know what you are thinking—“but Jason, I have a <baseball bat, crow bar, sling shot, rifle, pistol, shotgun, cannon, TOW missile, whatever> I can take care of any problem that comes in the door.”

Only works if you are awake, alert, and able to discern the threat.

Here is a scary statistic. When a home intruder comes through the door to when they make contact with the residents is an average of 45 seconds.

The average police response time in Henrico is 4 minutes (which means that some will be as fast as 30 seconds from when you call). But someone has to call.

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night. Under the best of circumstances, you are groggy, and not all there. But you wake up because someone is ponding on your door, and coming through. You barely are able to recognize that that this is home invasion before they are in physical contact. Maybe you get lucky, and they only beat you and rob you of your possession. Maybe that rape you and kill your family. Maybe they rape your family and kill you. All because you didn’t have time to react.

Lets talk about how we can change that story.

  1. An alarm system that calls for help for you. Yes, there will be false alarms, and other issues. Yes, you have to remember to set the alarm. But having the SERVICE of a system that calls for help for you is very comforting.
  2. Put up signs that say you have an alarm. ADT and other companies sell the signs. Bad guys may decide not to come to your house simply because the sign makes it more likely they will be caught.
  3. Video surveillance. Put up a camera system inside and outside of your house. If the police can identify the culprits, it will mean that they can be brought to justice.
  4. Make it harder for them to gain entrance. Oh, this is where it gets interesting.  There are several systems that make it harder to open a door.  They all assume that door integrity will hold.
    1. Hinge Pins— https://bit.ly/3qLUxxr  --They replace some of the of the screws that are in your door hinge and make the hinge an additional deadbolt. I have not tried them, but this looks interesting.
    2. Night Lock- https://nightlock.com/ - This is a device you attach to the floor in front of your door, and blocks the door. A barricade, as it were. 
    3. 2x4 barricade brackets. (amazon, lowes, home depot) – These allow you to put a 2x4 across your door. My understanding of these is that they are one of the strongest ways to hold the door closed. Attach the bracket to a stud with a good long screw and set the 2x4 across it.
    4. There are others, but these are the 3 that appeal to me. Some are more unsightly than others.
  5. There are several film that you can put on your windows that make it harder to break the windows. This prevents bricks and firebombs from breaking the window.
  6. You can look at replacing the windows with hurricane windows. This is an expensive solution, but they are designed to stop a 2x4 shot at a speed of 50 MPH. If you have lived in the gulf coast area, these are common.

 

DIGITAL SECURITY.

There are several alternative messaging apps.

FaceBook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and a few others. I just heard about XMPP, which is end-to-end transport layer security but it requires that you have your own XMPP server.

Each has their downsides.

This is an info graphic on the information each of the most common collects about you.


PLEASE REMEMBER THAT

If you have a smart phone, IT WILL TRACK YOU wherever you go.

It does not matter if your phone is a Android or Apple device.

There are some de-googled android phones, but I am not sure how that works. Perhaps I will interview a tech person who can tell us how well that works.

An example of this problem is in the context of people who went to the <rally?riot?> on January 6. Phones were tracked, and now people who were at the rally are being interviewed by the police.

I now suggest that people leave their phones at home for anything that is not VERY easily explained as innocent. Going to a grocery store? OK, but know that they are tracking your movement in the store. Maybe you want that, maybe you don’t. Going to a shooting range? Leave the phone home.  Meeting with friends? Maybe take the phone maybe not. Definitely leave the phone in the car.

 

Lesson learned: DO NOT take you phone with you.

Also, be VERY careful about what you say or do online. Several social media outlets (FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) have been shutting down anything associated with the right. And to some extent the moderates.

 

I say this and no one ever listens to me, but I will repeat it for the people in the back—

ANYTHING YOU SAY, INLCUDING ANYTHING YOU POST ONLINE, CAN BE USED AGAIST YOU.

Under the rules of evidence, your statements can be admitted over your objection.

But also, under the rules of evidence, nothing you say can be used to bolster your position.

Cancel culture is a PROBLEM, so don’t do anything that may get you canceled, because the cancel mob is VERY bad. People lose jobs, homes, cars, everything, over small, semi-innocent. But not politically correct comments.

 Your phone is listening ALL THE TIME.

As is your Alexa or Google Home. And maybe your smart TV.

 Yes, it is a little 1984esque, that your TV is watching you, but it is true.

 

I know your next thought-- "But I don't do anything"  "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear"

Tell that to the people arrested by the Nazis and the Soviets.  You may not even know that what you did was wrong. 


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