We live in interesting times. With two thirds of the global population now regularly online, the world is generating a staggering amount of data. It is estimated that more than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data (that’s eighteen zeroes) are released into the datasphere – every single day. Or, to put it another way – at the beginning of 2020, the amount of data bytes present in the digital realm was forty times more than the total number of observable stars in the Universe. 

On a more personal note, according to recent findings conducted by Northeastern University in Boston, each of us creates, on average, 1.7MB of data – every second of each day. Much of this is sensitive and important information, which is all being stored on our mobiles, our laptops and our tablets. Unfortunately, in doing so, we automatically become irresistible targets for unscrupulous marketeers and cybercriminals alike. This reliance on devices, accompanied by an exponential increase in privacy breaches, and the current lack of legislation safeguarding individuals’ rights to privacy protection have left government bodies scrambling to keep pace.  

However, before anything else, we as global citizens need to examine our position regarding our data and our collective right to privacy. We need to ensure that we know what is at stake if we allow others to control what is fundamentally ours. We need to win back control. The first thing we need to do to address this is to identify the most pressing threats to our personal privacy – and take urgent steps to safeguard against them. 

  

Keeping track  

Whenever our mobile phones are in use, signals travelling between these devices and the nearest tower allows cell carriers to calculate the general area of the phone by measuring the time it takes for that signal to travel back and forth. An even more accurate measure is obtained through cell tower triangulation, where location data from three cell towers are combined to form a reading.  

This constant supply of data then allows for your phone to be tracked and your location to be disclosed at any time. And whilst this is useful in cases where your phone has been misplaced, this unfettered access to your movements, and the places you frequent, provides large corporations with a wealth of information about your private life through unsolicited data – from which they can profit. A common misconception is that simply switching a mobile phone to ‘flight mode’ will prevent tracking, but this is not the case. 

  

Stealing up on your data 

It’s not just unprincipled corporations who are after your data. Accompanying the rapid advance of technology is a sophisticated breed of hacker who can use this data to access your personal details, read your texts, forward your calls and of course, empty your bank accounts. These incidents can happen where you least expect them to, causing untold amounts of damage. 

The advent of unknown, or ‘free’ WiFi networks has seen a rapid rise of data theft. Your smartphone, being WiFi enabled, will automatically communicate with the nearest of these networks, despite not being connected to it. And once connected to one of these unsecured WiFi networks, you may unsuspectingly log into an unencrypted site – or a site which uses encryption only on the sign-in page. This allows other users on the network to see what you see and send. They can then hijack your session and log in as you, leaving you vulnerable to malware, viruses, or worse still – major cyber-attacks inflicted on your business. 

 

The camera never lies, or does it? 

Even when inactive, hackers are now able to gain access to the camera on your device, turn it on and off, gain access to your photos and listen in on you through your microphone. More often than not, this is for the purposes of gaining specific information rather than simply spying on you.  

However, eavesdropping is also a tool used extensively by corporations, via social media platforms. For instance, while scrolling your Instagram feed, you might see an ad about an item you have just talked about the previous day with a friend. This could be the result of an algorithm analysing your conversation through the recording found on your phone, or through your online activity.  

No matter whether they constitute minor breaches of privacy, incursions into our private lives and conversations require urgent intervention before they escalate into major acts of sabotage. We urgently need to recognise this as being the downside of our internet-reliant lives – and act against the dangers. The situation also highlights the need for a more ‘hardware’ driven solution to the current dilemma – one which can offer greater autonomy and more immediate control.   

 

An old-school solution to a current problem 

For FERRONATO, the key to solving the privacy dilemma resides in a piece of privacy technology which far outdates both the smartphone and the tablet – the Faraday cage. Invented in 1836 by the scientist Michael Faraday, the Faraday cage is an enclosure built from metallised fabrics capable of blocking all electromagnetic signals, including WiFi, Bluetooth, GSM, GPS and RFI. And over three decades’ experience in developing and producing military-grade, metallised fabrics, the Ferronato group has become a trusted supplier to a number of key industries.  

Having taken a brand-new step into the luxury market, FERRONATO is now bringing this trusted technology directly to a discerning consumer, with a range of bags and accessories powered by MetaFabTM, its flagship metallised fabric. Combining Swiss engineering with premium Italian artisanship, the FERRONATO luxury range provides complete privacy protection for all your devices, allowing you the freedom to be untrackable, unhackable and unheard.  

 

To find out more about FERRONATO and to view the full range, click here. 

 

 

Related Articles

11
11
October 2022
Did you know that the new ‘it’ bag protects you from data theft?

Last May, Alessia Ferronato, CEO of the FERRONATO brand, was interviewed for French cultural magazine Technikart to discuss the new FERRONATO range of luxury accessories with privacy technology.

Read More
21
21
October 2022
A personal journey but also a perfect solution

Discover the heritage of FERRONATO in a newly released behind-the-scenes, spanning over a century of technological innovation and global enterprise, to our latest venture into luxury. 

Read More