I'm not big on promoting other businesses, but in the case of Protonmail you may want to start thinking about the advantages of encrypted e-mail. With increasingly invasive government practices, plus the amount of information about you stored by companies like Google and Yahoo, it's a good move. I set up an account a few years ago (david_north@pm.me) but few people contact me there. I urge you to both set up an account with Protonmail (it's free) and to start using it to write to me. I'd like to just maintain the north@bound2burst.net Google account for my records, and for sales notifications, but personal stuff ought to be protected from prying eyes.
https://protonmail.com/
Here is something the guys at Protonmail sent to its users today.
3 Facts about the value of your personal data & threats you might be facing online
YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS EXTREMELY VALUABLE NOT ONLY TO YOU
Here are some fact about your personal data and threats you might be facing online
FACT 1: THE VALUE OF OUR MOBILE PHONE’S DATA ON AVERAGE IS $14,000
According to Ponemon Institute, approximately 41% of the total value of the content on a phone is:
• photos of family and friends (approx. $3,000)
• contact lists (approx. $2,700)
• personal apps (approx. $2,100)
TIPS:
• Set a strong password to lock your phone.
• Keep the operating system and mobile apps up-to-date.
• Back up your data.
• Encrypt sensitive information.
FACT 2: YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IS OF VALUE TO THIEVES. IDENTITY THEFT VICTIMS EXPERIENCED A COMBINED AVERAGE LOSS OF $1,343.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as name, address, date of birth, and credit score is enough for identity theft.
If your identity is stolen you can become a victim of a credit card fraud, extortion, blackmail.
Over 3 million data records are lost or stolen every day, 35 data records are lost or stolen every second.
TIPS:
• To minimise a risk of identity theft use strong passwords, and different ones for different accounts.
• Change your passwords frequently.
• If you receive email or SMS that asks you to provide personal data, don’t do it. Contact the organisation via the official customer support phone number, to identify whether the request is legitimate.
FACT 3: THERE ARE MORE THAN 4,000 CYBER ATTACKS DAILY, WHICH TRANSLATES TO 3 EVERY MINUTE.
A study conducted by the UN revealed that up to 17% of the global online population is affected by digital theft. This is compared to the offline crime rate of less than 5%.
And it is expected cybercrime damage costs to hit $6 trillion annually by 2021.
TIPS:
• To protect yourself from cyberattack never click on links or download any attachments if you are not completely sure who sent it.
• Use encrypted communication to protect yourself form Man-in-the-middle attacks.
Would you like to know how to protect your privacy online?
We will send you more interesting facts and tips on how to protect your data in the future.
Have friends who argue that they don’t need to protect their data because they have ‘Nothing to hide’? Forward this email to them. You may save them some money and nerves dealing with online intrusions in their life.
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