#Identity Protection

[boymanmaletheshequel]

As we enter back into an era where technology is used primarily as a weapon against you by the United States and Russian governments, (welcome back 1980s! 😍) let’s go over some tips to consider if you are a queer, bipoc, or otherwise an “enemy from within” as trump so lovingly and hypocritically put it, to protecting your identity and privacy through the internet so that you can continue to resist this cultural shift safely and resiliently!

• stop posting identifying information on social media like your full name, place of residence, and pictures of yourself or other at risk people, and go back and delete posts in which you might’ve already.

• disable location tracking services and camera and mic access to apps, services, or websites that you know to be compromised by the influence of shady overseers, such as X, Instagram, Facebook, Google, and TikTok. I know it’s convenient to use these but it’s a MAJOR security hazard.

• Turn your phone COMPLETELY off when discussing sensitive subjects with friends or when you are making plans of resistance and gathering your communities, or when you are discussing personal feelings on such subjects with family, friends, or a doctor/therapist. Basically all mobile phones now have live mics that are constantly listening to you.

• Create a new email under a fake name if you haven’t already to use as your primary email address, in order to further protect your true identity.

• use an alternative browser like DuckDuckGo or brave in place of google, preferably with a VPN on top of it to even further secure your browsing history and to bypass potential IP blocks of websites from the government.

• if you want to watch YouTube and don’t want a recording of your watch history, log out of your account and watch that way, preferably you would just delete your account entirely but I understand why some might not want to.

• pirate content from streaming services via piracy websites, again so that your watch history can’t be used to make assumptions about you if that data were ever sold to the government.

These are obviously just some of the ways to bypass data collection and ti protect your real identity online, but there are many others I’m sure I’m not aware of. Please add to this if you can, and stay safe out there, because anything you say can and will be used against you in the future of this country. But: We have survived this kind of shit before, we can again, if we are careful. Loose lips sink ships, and that goes for the internet as well.

[mappingthemoon]

In light of Elom rummaging around in everyone's private personal information and probably selling it on the dork web, may I advise: NOW IS A REALLY GOOD TIME TO FREEZE YOUR CREDIT.

It is free to freeze your credit. You can unfreeze and re-freeze it for free as many times as you wish.

When your credit is frozen, it means no one can open up an account in your name, including bank accounts, credit cards, loans, mortgages, I think also some cell phone companies, etc. (any account or service which requires a credit check, pretty much). When you want to open an account, you can lift the freeze temporarily so they can do a credit check and then re-freeze immediately. This is super easy to do and adds an extra layer of protection against identity theft.

You will need to set up freezes with each credit reporting company: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This post from Experian includes info for all three credit bureaus: https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/credit-education/preventing-fraud/security-freeze/

Setting the freeze online is very simple, but you can also do it via phone or mail. If online, you may have to sign up for accounts with all three bureaus, and in some cases you may have to submit your SSN online to verify your identity, so if you don't want to do that, choose the phone or mail option.

(Added bonus: You may receive less junk mail credit card offers and stuff since these companies will no longer be able to see your credit report all the time without permission.)

You can monitor your own credit for free at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/

You used to only be able to request a report from each bureau once a year, but during COVID they changed it to free weekly reports. I personally request one company's report every four months (first from Equifax, then Experian, then TransUnion). Looking at your report regularly will help you stay on top of any bad shit like accounts opened under your name that you didn't open. You can do this perfectly fine by requesting your reports from the source; I would NOT recommend using services like Credit Karma where you have to connect all your accounts to some company's database so they can try to sell you shit under the guise of offering "monitoring" services.

Note: Your credit report will NOT show your "credit score" for free, if you want that, you'll have to pay money, but tbh the entire concept of a credit score is a scam and paying money for the arbitrary number is more of a scam. It's more important to pay attention to keeping your accounts in good standing (paid on time) and obvs making sure you don't get mixed up in identity theft or some dumbass clerical error that isn't your fault. (Example: At age 21 upon taking out my first loan [narrator voice: and that was her first mistake...], I discovered that my parents' mortgage was associated with my credit report, and even though it was taken out before I was born and my name and SSN are different than my parents', I had to submit tons of evidence in triplicate to prove that it wasn't my loan and get it removed from my report!)

Ok one last thing, I'm not trying to veer off into an identity theft prevention master post rn, BUT, it's also a good idea to avoid letting your debit/credit/banking info sit around in various shopping websites' databases. Every single online store is all like, "Save your card for faster checkout?" Fuck that, it's a trap! When possible, I mediate every payment through PayPal or Venmo. Those companies are also not great, but at least there is less risk in only having your banking info in a couple of databases rather than 50 different ones for each store you bought something from.

GOOD LUCK OUT THERE. Who knows, maybe money will become obsolete and/or irrelevant in the next few years and none of this shit will matter anymore 🫠

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

It's always so weird to come down from the biology heavens to see what the average person believes about animals, plants, ecosystems, just the world around them. I don't even mean things that one simply doesn't know because they've never been told or things that are confusing, I'm talking about people who genuinely do not see insects as animals. What are you saying. Every time I see a crawling or fluttering little guy I know that little guy has motivations and drive to fulfill those motivations. There are gears turning in their head! They are perceiving this world and they are drawing conclusions, they are conscious. And yet it's still a whole thing if various bugs of the world feel pain or if they are simply Instinct Machines that are Not Truly Aware of Anything At All????? Help!!!!!! How can you look at a little guy and think he is just the macroscopic animal version of a virus

[noisypalaceskeletonzine]

Share Hogo

Hey, I think you should Defend & Boost™ with the Hogo® app! Download it here. https://www.hogo.com/

[richardmhicks]

Configure Entra Conditional Access for Always On VPN

Recently, I wrote about Microsoft Always On VPN and Entra Conditional Access and how conditional access improves your organization’s security posture by making policy-based access decisions based on various signals such as user identity, location, device compliance, platform, sign-in risk, and more. In this post, I’ll provide step-by-step instructions for integrating Entra Conditional Access with…

[learnblock]

Keep your personal details private! Sharing sensitive information on public forums or platforms can make you a target for scams and identity theft. Click this link : https://tinyurl.com/43d9k4n3

[jarlhalla]

Cyber Security Awareness

Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1. Overview of Online Marketplaces in Cybercrime 1.2. Importance of Understanding AlphaBay and Wildlife Trade 1.3. Aim and Structure of the Article Chapter 2. AlphaBay Market Takeover and Activities 2.1. Department of Justice Takedown Announcement 2.2. Financial Impact and Scale of AlphaBay 2.3. Paul Craig’s Insights on Illegal E-commerce Chapter 3. Illegal Goods and…

[fixmypc24ex]

How to protect your digital privacy (msn.com)

Making your devices, online identity, and activities more secure really doesn't take much effort. By implementing a few simple changes, you can maintain security against hackers and any outside parties’ unwanted attempts to access your data, as well as protect your privacy from anyone you don’t consent to sharing your information with.

[spicy-apple-pie]

Bruce posts this to his twitter with the caption "So proud of Gotham to be an accepting and inviting place where me and my family are free to be ourselves ❤️❤️❤️"

(HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYBODY!!!)

Commission Info / Kofi

[iamhowiseeit]

Nicki Minaj battles with Staying On Top with a PETTY Husband. Let’s gossip! Follow for more great Content on your favorite #Celebrities Right Here on "How I See It!"

Todays #booksponsor

Fraud Exposed: Protecting Against Deception And Scams

https://books2read.com/u/3JndMA

[noodles-and-tea]

For the twins in time AU, I genuinely wonder what kind of people the young twins grow up into because of Stan’s/Ford’s influence. Especially if it takes years for the portal to get fixed.

(Sorry if it seems like I already sent this question, I don’t know if it got sent the first time I asked)

I haven’t fully fleshed out how Ford grows up in the past but I do have thoughts on Stan presently

[buggachat]

do you ever think about how Chat Noir and Argos are (essentially) identical fucking twins. like two of the miraculous wielders are (kind of) IDENTICAL TWINS and NOBODY would ever guess it. just look at them. nobody would connect them. what

these two used to play as kids pretending to be each other to fool their parents. and also still do it to this day. what

[frownyalfred]

I love those Lex Luthor panels I reblogged yesterday because basically that whole conversation went like this:

Lex: you’re the Batman, and I’m going to prove it by shooting you

Bruce: that’s crazy, Lex. you’re crazy. I don’t even know how to throw a punch.

Lex: perhaps. but what if I shot your butler instead?

Bruce:

Lex:

Alfred:

Bruce:

Lex:

Bruce: have you ever been kicked so hard in the face, you saw the rebirth of Krypton?

[mixanji]

“Still protecting him even now…”

[neuropoppins]

[natalievoncatte]

“Are you ready?”

Kara was at her desk, which was frankly rather unusual. She was plugging away at something, deep in concentration on whatever she was writing. Lena stopped to watch her for a while from the doorway, leaning against the frame. She found herself doing so more and more often now, largely for one reason: Kara Danvers was the prettiest girl Lena had ever seen.

If you asked Lena her type, she wouldn’t have described Kara Danvers, who was more athletic than svelte, built with strong shoulders and a swimmer’s silhouette. For all of Kara’s efforts to hide beneath soft cardigans and corduroy, it was obvious how jacked she was.

There was more than that, though. It wasn’t just her eyes, a peculiar shade of blue that Lena was sure she’d never seen before; it was the intelligence behind them, the curiosity and wit and shy, stammering confidence. Kara had a kind of nervous courage, for lack of a better way of putting it.

And she was gorgeous, of course. Honeyed curls, soft skin and pillowed lips and those gorgeous eyes, radiant eyes even behind a chunky frame.

Lena would never confess that she was a little in love with Kara. Even after the flower thing, and the buying the company thing, and…

Yeah.

“How about lunch?”

Kara looked up sharply. “What? Oh! Lena hi, I’m just-“

“Don’t give me that,” said Lena. “I’m treating you to lunch.”

“As my boss or my friend?” Kara asked, cautious.

“As me. No shop talk.”

Kara brightened; Lena had… put her in her place, not to put too fine a point on it, a few weeks ago when Kara snapped at her over a perfectly normal request to actually put in some time in her office.

It was necessary.

It also hurt like hell.

Kara made some noises about her work but acquiesced, grabbing her messenger bag and walking with Lena to the elevator. They rode in an moderately aggressive awkward silence; Kara seemed to be one of those people who chronically distrusts elevators despite-

The power went out.

The lights went with it. The elevator car dropped a foot in half a second and Lena felt herself crashing into a solid wall of Kara just before the emergency lights slammed on.

Lena took a moment. Kara had gently caught her and pulled her into a loose hug, for which Lena was grateful as it kept her from slamming her knees into the floor of the elevator.

“Lena? You okay?”

“I’m fine, you?”

Kara gently released her. “I’m… yeah. Fine. Are we stuck?”

“Power’s out. We might be here a while.”

Kara’s eyes went comically wide. “Nothing!”

Lena quirked a brow. “Okay.”

“Really, I’m fine. I was looking forward to lunch! You know me, always hungry. I wish I’d brought some snacks! I like snacks. Do you like snacks?”

Lena stared at her.

“Kara?”

“Of course you like snacks, that was so dumb. I’m sorry, I,” she looked frantically around the small space they found themselves in, “I don’t know why I’m… I’ll shut up.”

Lean shrugged and sat down, leaning against the back wall. Kara did not, choosing instead to pace, which was a tad annoying given the space they were in, but she was more worried about Kara than anything else.

She seemed… frantic.

“Are they going to come get us?”

“Eventually, if the power doesn’t kick back on first.”

“Do you think we’re stuck in between floors? I think we’re in between floors.”

“Probably.”

Kara flipped the panel down beneath the buttons and pulled out the phone inside, the plastic creaking in her grip. She pushed at the HELP button, but nothing happened.

“They know we’re in here right? Someone knows. They won’t leave us.”

Lena blinked.

Oh. Jesus.

“Kara,” said Lena. “Why don’t you sit down? We can just wait for help.”

She gave a short, sharp shake of her head in reply, like some frightened creature. She was now hugging herself and trembling.

“It’ll be soon, right? I can get out soon. I have to get out.”

“Kara,” said Lena.

Kara stared at her, and Lena knew.

“You’re claustrophobic.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Y-yes,” said Kara.

“Sit down with me, okay?”

Finally, she sat, shoulder to shoulder with Lena. Lena took her hand and squeezed it softly. Kara’s hand reminded her of an exotic bird quivering in her palm. Her pulse had to be racing.

“It’s going to be okay. They’re working on getting us out right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Kara swallowed.

“I won’t let anything hurt you,” said Lena.

Kara looked at her with big, wide eyes.

“At least it’s not dark,” she said, lamely.

The lights immediately went out. Kara yelped and Lena felt her jump, hugging herself as her head thumped against the all.

“Oh Rao please no,” Kara whimpered, “please not again I can’t do it again.”

Rao? What the hell was a Rao?

“Lena, it’s dark.”

“I’m right here.”

Lena wrapped her arm around Kara’s shoulders, and found she was shaking like a leaf. A strained, choking sob ripped the air and Lena felt Kara plunge her face in her hands.

She was hot, almost feverish, and her coiled muscles felt like steel cables, even as they trembled. Lena could feel Kara’s heart pounding, incredibly fast.

“Get me out, please get me out.”

Her cell had no bars. Lena tried anyway; nothing.

Kara, very softly, began to cry. When something creaked, she almost screamed, jolting Lena.

“They can’t get in, they can’t get in, they can’t get in.”

“They?”

“The phantoms,” Kara choked out. “The other things. They want to get in, they want to get me.”

“Kara, we’re in an elevator. There’s nothing outside but concrete and steel cables.”

“Are you real?”

“Of course,” said Lena.

“It felt like I’d sleep for years, then I’d wake up and something huge would be crushing my pod or the phantoms would be scraping their claws on the canopy and looking at me. They just stared. All they had to do was wait.”

“Your pod?”

Kara froze, going totally still.

“I… uhhh… I mean my… my bed? No, the car, from the accident, my parents died in the accident, I hit my heed.”

“You told me your parents passed in a house fire.”

Kara swallowed hard. “Did I?”

Her voice was thin and hysterical.

“Please, Lena, I’m scared.”

Lena gently guided Kara’s head to her shoulder and rocked her there, lightly carding her fingers through her hair.

“It’s alright, Kara. It’ll be alright.”

“Lena,”

“It’s okay,” said Lena. “Everyone gets scared. Everyone has a fear. Even you.”

Kara sucked in a breath.

“Pod,” said Lena. “Phantoms.”

“Lena I…”

“Shhh,” said Lena. “Hush now. You’ve already saved me at least three times, I owe you one.”

Kara gently wrapped her arms around Lena and sobbed into her shoulder. Lena suspected that Kara couldn’t break them out, so she didn’t press it. She just let Kara hold her and gently stroked her hair and softly sang an old lullaby she half remembered, stumbling back over the same verses.

There was a last a loud bang and Kara jerked, then let out a slow breath as the elevator doors at last spread open, forced apart by workmen.

Lena made sure Kara got out first. Then, Kara reached down and lifted her by the waist, setting Lena gently beside herself.

“Thank you,” Kara murmured.

Lena felt the eyes of the two workers behind her but she didn’t care. She smiled softly.

“I’m not mad. Actually, this explains a lot.”

Kara swallowed, hard.

“I think we missed lunch.”

“Mmm,” Lena gave her a coquettish smile. “Why don’t we get dinner, then? Just us, at my place.”

Kara smiled, wiping away her tears.

“I’d like that.”