Cyber Security and Privacy in the 21st Century

Doxxing An interesting phenomena that has developed within about the past decade is known as doxxing. Dictionary.com defines the word "dox" to mean to " search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the Internet, typically with malicious intent." It can mean even more than that actually, and we see more examples of it everyday in the media. A recent example of doxxing appeared following the Charlottesville protests and counter protests in early April of this year. Multiple people who were spotted at the Unite the Right far right rally waving confederate flags and holding torches were later ousted from their jobs and other memberships when they were identified through pictures of them at the rally.  New York Times - Doxxing The New York Times questions the ethics of such online vigilantism techniques, and even quotes certain people as calling passive aggressive violence. They also summarize multiple...

Hello everyone! My name is Morgan Thrift and I am here to explore with you the surprising aspects of cyber security and privacy on the internet. Although my research has only begun recently, there are already many incredible stories and facts that I want to share with you over the next few weeks! My goal is to make this blog applicable to as many people as possible, whether it is out of shear interest, or you take to heart as a warning. There are endless ways in which your identity and information and the digital world cross paths and can place you in jeopardy. Identity theft, credit card theft, social security fraud, scams, and phishing links are just a few that you have probably heard of, and I hope to discuss in the weeks following. Identity theft alone was reported 17.5 MILLION time in 2014 alone, and the rate has only risen since then. The Bureau of Justice states that this is about 7% of people over the age of 16, and that only half of those instances were able to be r...