Our Privacy Policy Update for 2018

[note: Editor's Post]

It's that time of year where the massive tracking industries are hard at work planning to detach money from your pockets and transfer it into theirs.

Yeppers, it's holiday time and in the USA people will do all sorts of odd things they would never do otherwise, in the pursuit of those "hot" new item(s) touted by these same massive tracking industries as being the "in thing"; which means: you really don't have a choice about what you are getting.

So to get the basics out of the way:

WE do not track or trace you.

There are others that do:

• Google (this is a Google blog site)
• We have a 3d party map that shows who visits the page
• An unknown number of trackers, tracers and surveillance devices

There! Feel Better?
Hmmm. Didn't think so.

In previous posts we have explored a number of issues regarding your privacy and the digital leashes go with all this mass data tracking. Those are all still happening. There hasn't been a lot of great news on the privacy front so far, but there are rumblings in different parts of the globe which may put a few dents in the "status quo" of monetizing the internet.

So, in furtherance of the annual explanation of why Everyone + Dog is tracking you and selling: you, your family, your kids, your friends, your neighbors, the strangers you pass by, the cars your drive in, the routes you take while walking, driving, biking and generally every time you take a "bio break", into digital slavery, this edition will review an area soon to be On The Plate of a lot of those who make vast sums of money from all that you provide them, like Alphabet / Google.

Alphabet (2016) 1
Alphabet Assets (stuff they own)	$167+ BILLION	$167,000,000,000
Alphabet Profit (weaseled)	$19+ BILLION	$19,000,000,000

Alphabet is now the top dog in the Google ² Complex of Obfuscations of their financial structures. All perfectly legal ... or mostly legal. The "mostly legal" part is important.

There is actually a lot of rumbling in the internet, much of which will be under explained, if reported at all, but the current structure has "a problem". There are a LOT of problems, but this one is going to be hitting the fan soon because it affects how the entire internet works. It is called the Domain Name System (DNS) ³ and Certification Authority (CA) ⁴.

DNS ³

Computers are essentially dumb. It doesn't matter that there are claims of Artificial Intelligence, with the emphasis on "intelligence", that are smeared like jam over the promotional advertising about AI, computers are just dumb and they only do what they are instructed to do. We instruct them to do lots of things from streaming movies ⁵ to twittering ⁶ to twitching ⁷.

The Domain Name System is how one computer can figure out where another computer is located on the internet. It forms part of the URL ⁸ that we type in or select by a clicking a link. But the URL we see or type is not necessarily where the browser gets directed (see our posts on Links ⁹).

Given that the internet was and is developed by a great number of folks happier to talk to a machine than another human being, the Grand Design was based on N U M B E R S.

Yeah, all that horrid stuff you had to put up with in grade school:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

The Number System: IP Address

The Internet Protocol address (IP) ¹⁰ is arcane, even to those dealing with the technical aspects of the internet . Even if you are a technical programmer, you just hope that someone else gets assigned to deal with any IP Address issues.

Yep. It's that bad.

It's SOOO bad, that the Domain Name System was developed so fewer people would ever have to deal with IP numbers. The Domain Name System uses "words" rather than "numbers". Something much easier for humans to process.

The DNS : IP Fix

To fix the numbers problem, the DNS uses a cross reference table to match "words" to "numbers". The internet uses the words we type or click on and looks up the matching numbers. Since computers are excellent with numbers they figure out what all the numbers mean and voilà! you get the web page you wanted. .. maybe.

This is an example of how words and numbers are matched ¹¹:

www.example.com
IPv4 Numbering	93.184.216.119
IPv6 Numbering	2606:2800:220:6d:26bf:1447:1097:aa7

By now, given the subject of this post, I think you can begin to see "a problem". It's glaring and one nearly every person on the planet has experienced or struggles with: incorrect information. A simple typo and BOOM! example.com goes "somewhere else".

There are a lot of safe guards and backups to prevent an unintentional BOOM! but it still happens and it can happen intentionally too by hacking parts of the DNS system: DNS Spoofing. ¹². DNS Spoofing is the same as a Re-Direct except ... it wasn't authorized. It is almost always "bad news". Re-Directs can be done much lower on the totem pole but DNS Spoofing hacks can happen anywhere along the entire length of the pole.

And just to be clear:

There is zero difference between people, businesses, agencies and governments engaging in such hacks.

It works for all. Very ecumenical.

So to prevent some of this... Enter Stage Right: The Certificate Authority.

Certificate Authority ⁴

Certificate Authorities are Digital Certificates/Encrypted Signatures that are supposed to let you know the "Destination You Land On" is the "Destination You Requested".

Companies with web servers and sites pay the CA Authorization Providers at the top of this heap, to give them a certificate that your browser will check to verify that said company IS said company. The certificate is an encrypted key (you know, a combination lock) that will only match with said company. It doesn't validate that the site is "honest"; only that the site is "registered".

Browsers act like gate keepers checking that the certificates are GOOD and if GOOD then the presumption is that the site is ... well... the site.

Because a good combination lock ¹³ actually works, there are those that work full time at breaking the locks. But a good lock, like any good lock, doesn't break easily. It's tough.

So what do you do if you cannot "break a lock"?

You steal one with the keys attached.

Once you have a valid lock and the keys too, Bob's Your Uncle! ¹⁴

All you have to do is get the Target to install the stolen certificate! Since the certificate appears to be all hunky dory legit, it's a snap.

WHEEEEEEE!!!

Except, there goes your bank account and your tax refunds (Is my name Trump?) and you get more headaches than just the normal after holiday bash hangovers.

The Bad Dudettes and Dudes in the world, work extra hard to make sure they can BOOM! these systems. They do a good job of it too. Open Season.

Oh WOW NOW?

There are agencies and governments and a few companies that are thinking of commencing to begin to get started on planning to ponder about these issues:

• DNS can be broken
• CA can be stolen

There are a lot of folks with heavily vested interests in NOT doing anything. Just another bandaid will do.

Nothing to see here.. move along
but don't forget to leave your money on the table.

However, even the biggest companies are subject to these problems, governments are subject to them, along with anyone who uses a computer, program/app or smartphone. We The People are subject to it because The Metaphysical and Almighty THEY make a tonnage of money off the status quo.

The Money taken lands somewhere. That somewhere has 2 features:

• No Taxation ¹⁵
• Cleaning It Up ¹⁶

There isn't any good method of repairing the system as is.

The existing system was designed for a different world and society, one where we trusted our friends and neighbors, and we talked with strangers and freely walked in parks. Where we housed the homeless and fed the poor and loaned our neighbors a cup of flour. When no one locked their doors and there was always room for one more at the table. One were we helped each other and exchanged knowledge without fear of reprisal, jail, torture and death. One where tolerance and trust was the most important part of our lives.

The new versions that are coming won't be any of the above.

KimB Editor

Partial map of the Internet January 15, 2005
Each line is drawn between two nodes, representing two IP addresses.
This graph represents less than 30% of the Class C networks in early 2005. ¹⁷

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_Inc.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Alphabet
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_authority
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_media
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch.tv
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL
9. a) https://mrsbizzybsayshello.blogspot.com/2017/03/when-is-link-link.html
   b) https://mrsbizzybsayshello.blogspot.com/2017/04/why-links-aint-links.html
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System#Function
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_cache_poisoning
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_(security_device)
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob%27s_your_uncle
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_haven
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_laundering
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Internet_map_1024_-_transparent,_inverted.png