A couple of things on my mind. One of them is the vast increase in phishing emails, texts and phone calls since the last part of January. These intrusions, which have all gotten more detailed I.e., they have Social Security numbers and other information they should not have, …..all of them seem to coincide with the DOGE intrusions into the Social Security Network, and other federal institutions where all of our….we American citizens…where all of our pertinent information lies.
Who knows what information was downloaded onto hard drives, by young and unverified, unvetted individuals? Who knows what they did with it? Was it surreptitiously sold to the highest bidder?
Pair with with the UNPRECEDENTED release (yes I will call it a release and not a theft) as follows:
- Data Breaches & Leaks: This is a common meaning, where massive amounts of sensitive data are released without authorization, often due to security vulnerabilities or breaches.
Notable examples include the Yahoo breach affecting 3 billion accounts, the National Public Data breach impacting 2.9 billion individuals, and the 2024 “Mother of All Breaches” involving 26 billion records.
These breaches can lead to significant financial costs for companies and expose individuals to identity theft and scams. - Government Data Sharing: The term is also being used to describe governmental efforts to collect and share large amounts of personal data from state and other entities.
For example, the Trump administration’s initiative to amass data from state databases for immigration enforcement purposes.
This type of data sharing can raise legal questions and privacy concerns. - Scientific Data Generation: With advancements in technology, particularly in fields like astronomy and physics, massive amounts of data are being generated and made available for research.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, for example, will generate 20 terabytes of data per night, offering opportunities for groundbreaking discoveries.
The growing volume of data presents challenges and opportunities for organizations to manage, secure, and extract valuable insights. - Open Data Initiatives: Governments and organizations are increasingly releasing large datasets to the public for analysis and innovation, fostering transparency and citizen engagement.
All this is causing my wife and I to have dozens of phone calls a day, and just today my wife has had to call credit cards companies because scammers have gotten part of her social security number and are attempting to open accounts in her name.
I’ve frozen all my accounts, and intend to use cash for personal purchases. I already did that last month, and ended up spending less anyway. I intend to see about switching all the accounts possible back to sending me statements, so I can mail them checks! My opinion is that this is only going to get worse…not just for us older folks, but for everyone! Everyone just be careful what you say when someone calls IF you answer.
As for me, I don’t even answer these calls if they are not in my contact list. Then I block the numbers. I have over a thousand blocked numbers….and they are still calling!
Writing for Sanity's Sake 