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International Cybersecurity Standards Do Not Address Surveillance Capitalism

International Cybersecurity Standards Do Not Address Surveillance Capitalism

By Rex M. Lee, Security Advisor, My Smart Privacy

 

I came across a great article, Essential Guide to Cybersecurity Compliance, in the Hacker News.  I noticed that international cybersecurity standards, including those in the U.S. such as CCPA and HIPAA, do not address privacy and security threats posed by Surveillance Capitalism.

Cybersecurity compliance, such as ISO 27001, GDPR & CCPA, do not address endpoint security and privacy threats posed by Surveillance Capitalism employed by Alphabet (Google), Apple, and Microsoft.

The problem has to do with the fact that the Android OS, Apple iOS, and Microsoft Windows operating systems support a targeted advertising business model rooted in Surveillance Capitalisma predatory and exploitative business model centered on surveillance and data mining business practices.

This means that intrusive Google, Apple, and Microsoft apps are tantamount to “Legal Malware” enabling app and social media developers to conduct audio, video, and physical surveillance on the OS end user while data mining over 5,000 highly confidential data points associated with the OS end user’s personal, business, medical, legal, employment, and location information to exploit for profits.

The average Android OS, Apple iOS, or Microsoft Windows end user is being simultaneously surveilled and data mined by over 50 multinational companies, including those from China and Russia, pending the number of intrusive apps and addictive social media platforms the end user has activated on their smartphone, tablet PC, desktop PC, laptop PC, or connected products.

T-Mobile and Verizon have admitted that smartphones, tablet PCs, connected products, or PCs supported by the Android OS, Apple iOS, or Microsoft Windows are not private or secure forms of telecommunications or computing due to uncontrollable preinstalled surveillance and data mining technologies that support the Android OS, Apple iOS, and Microsoft Windows.

“We too remember a time before smartphones when it was reasonable to conclude that when you activated service with T-Mobile that only T-Mobile would have access to your personal information.  However, with the Samsung Galaxy Note, the iPhone, and many other devices, (tablet PCs/connected products) there are indeed a variety of parties that may collect and use information.”- FCC Consumer Complaint #423849 (public record).

End users of connected technology today do not realize that Alphabet (Google), Apple, and Microsoft have turned smartphones, tablet PCs, connected products, and PCs into nonstop advertising vehicles that support predatory surveillance and data mining business practice posing massive threats to the OS end user, including teens, children, and business end users.

This means our cellular phones (smartphones), and PCs are not private or secure anymore since the Android OS, Apple iOS, and Microsoft Windows cannot be fully privatized or secured due to uncontrollable preinstalled surveillance and data mining technology.

Cybersecurity standards and privacy laws today need to deal with the money factor associated with the trillions of dollars in profits made by Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft, Meta (Facebook), ByteDance (TikTok), Amazon, and other tech giants from the sale of OS end user personal information collected by way of intrusive apps and addictive social media platforms.

Until government regulates predatory surveillance and data mining business practices, nothing will change regardless of cybersecurity standards and privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA.

The only secure and private operating systems, apps, and social media platforms on the market today are developed using a decentralized architecture such as non-Android Linux operating systems that include PureOS, by Purism, which support D-Apps and social media platforms that are not supported by a targeted advertising business model rooted in Surveillance Capitalism.

If you value security and privacy, then you need to check out decentralized solutions on the market today such as Purism’s full line of smartphones, tablet PCs, laptop PCs, and servers supported by PureOS.

 

Rex M. Lee is a Privacy and Cybersecurity Advisor, Tech Journalist and a Senior Tech/Telecom Industry Analyst for BlackOps Partners, Washington, DC. Find more information at CyberTalkTV.com

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