shift change 2024-02-20

Welcome to your shift change report: news (with a pinch of zesty analysis) from the off-going watch to the oncoming on anything interesting in privacy, security, or intelligence. 

1. (I’m putting this in CAPS so people can hear me) DON’T COLLECT BIOMETRIC DATA ON PEOPLE IN ILLINOIS WITHOUT EXPLICIT CONSENT, YOU DELICIOUS CHICKEN SANDWICH MAKING DUMMIES.

Wendy’s is a big corporation, Illinois is a big state, and Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act has been on the books since 2008. Yeah when Barack Obama was elected—the first time! What else happened? Russia invaded Georgia. There was a whole-a** recession and the American public had to save…one or another of the industries that has been too big to fail in my (relatively short) life.

BIPA has been around for a minute. Now of course. Of course. Wendy’s denies doing anything wrong. But they will deny doing anything wrong while writing a big check because settlements for BIPA are less than fines for BIPA because those fines are big and happen for every instance of non-compliance, those fines can get hefty, quickly. 

So what is my point? Big company tosses money at settlement because law it knew about applied to things it knew about and…they just didn’t bother. I’m sure Wendy’s has some very smart people who will explain to shareholders why burning money is somehow good business.

Go back to making chicken sandwiches, not getting whacked with settlement payouts you could have handled with a signature at employee onboarding. 

2. A coalition of international law enforcement agencies lock down LockBit’s website.

Taking down the website does not 1) end LockBit as a ransomware group (we'll see), 2) minimize the overall threat environment ransomware groups have exploited over the past ten years, or 3) close any particular security vulnerability live in the digital environment.

But it does make LockBit look bad, reminds everyone law enforcement not only has investigative but enforcement powers that can impact your day-to-day (criminal) business enterprise, and brings a big old spotlight down on certain actors (which can greatly impact their ability to work). Attention may bring a certain level of client, but too much attention means not getting a whole other certain level of client. It's all incentive.

This is a big, good win. But it is winning a battle, not the war. I see some wildly optimistic reports about this one law enforcement action...we'll see.

3. Back yard and patio privacy is still privacy, and can get people thinking about the design choices in their tech choices.

Livingetc recommends a five aspect patio privacy plan for the privacy conscious patio builders.

• Plant a jungle canopy:

Christine [Ritter, of Ritter & Co] continues to note how the power of planting was clear in this project to create patio privacy. ‘With no additional wall built and surrounding buildings about 10 meters all around - the trees provided the ultimate level of privacy without blocking natural airflow, creating the perfect, private escape in the middle of a busy city.'

• Use the shadows:

’If you don't have a particularly green thumb, there are also really lovely partition screens available, both vintage and new,’ adds ‘The ideal way to create more privacy on a patio would be to either grow or buy a mix of mature climbing plants and hanging plants to create a natural barrier with a little romance to it,’ shares Laëtitia Wajnapel, creator of Cinquième Gauche. ‘These make great decor elements while affording some privacy. Again, if you are into shadow play, pick a screen with an interesting pattern and watch as your patio comes alive at different times of day.’

• Strategically place and position your plants:

How you plant your garden will directly impact the ambiance, from the colors your choose to the plant form. Victoria Holly, Principal and Founder of Victoria Holly Interiors elaborates on how a variety of greenery is a great way to make your patio feel more secluded in a more natural way. 'The best and prettiest way to make your outdoor space or patio feel more private is greenery,' says Victoria. 'There are several ways to do this. Utilize tall potted plants or trees strategically placed around your patio to create a natural privacy screen.

• Soften the environment with drapes:

'Select drapes for a softer more traditional feel, slatted panels for a modern minimalist look, hanging plants and bamboo or trees for a natural privacy fence,' suggests Shelagh Conway, Principal and Founder of Triple Heart Design. Especially if you want an outdoor living room feel, use similar patterns from inside, and mimic them in your outdoor space to create cohesion.' Think of your patio as an extension of your home and create an outdoor space to reflect the indoors. The space needs to feel welcoming and cozy.'

• Learn to hug the home:

Keeping conversational corners a little closer to home (literally) can pay off when adding more privacy to a patio too. 'In terms of layout, if you don't want to be seen by your neighbors, it is best to install your patio furniture as close to your fence/hedge/ screen as possible without feeling cramped,' further recommends Laëtitia. 'This way you benefit from the full coverage of your privacy screen.'

I don’t have a five point plan for how to privacy-enhance your outdoor living spaces with plants, but there are plenty of people (see above) who do! Design choices are exactly that, choices. And more people should be aware of how, whether in tech or in the placement of plants in their backyard, they can impact the level of privacy they choose for their life with…the choices they make.

And be wary any time a tech company tells you something had to be designed a certain way, very rarely are tech companies (whatever the puffery) pushing the limits of the physical world (as in they are restrained by the laws of physics) and everything short of that loops back to it is just people make design choices.

## The shift change is a collection of timely stories of interest in the security, privacy, and intelligence worlds. Thanks for reading, and feel free to reach out to will@signaltonoise.fyi for any questions, comments, or thoughts on items you’d like to see highlighted (especially if it’s free, virtual, or networking that could help the community as a whole).