Are there any new technologies out there ready to help businesses protect themselves from Congress’s law allowing personal data to be captured and sold to the highest bidder?

If you don’t know much about this subject yet. Go here to read a good refresher and then come right back. You can also listen to this episode from our favorite podcast “Reply All”.

Now that Comcast, CenturyLink, AT&T, and all other major telco’s can capture and sell your personal browser histories and data streams to others what’s to stop them from analyzing and selling your company’s browser data the same way?  Remember, just because a browser is being used in an office, it’s history is still available to sell to the highest bidder.    

One of the reasons businesses monitor and manage social media is to make sure their trade secrets aren’t being given away, their public relations don’t suffer, and their employees aren’t being poached by competitors. 

So now that your personal data can be captured and sold before it even reaches Google,  Facebook, or Twitter – what can you do to protect yourself?  Unfortunately, not much – but keep reading.

So is anyone looking into this?  Yes.

Before Congress made this change block-headed law, a new technology named “Blockchain” was being experimented with by banks, investment houses, CPA’s, and the music industry. It’s being used to track where data is going and provides highly secure ways of tracing it, ensuring it only goes to where it’s intended.

Now Microsoft is going to see if it can be used to protect privacy:

“Microsoft is beginning work with Blockstack Inc to collaborate on an open source block-chain application stack, called Blockstack, which provides services for identity, authentication, and storage without putting any single party in control. The Blockstack technology secures information using blockchains and enables an open, interoperable system that transcends borders, organizations, and companies.”  https://blog.blockstack.org/blockstack-labs-partners-with-microsoft-3ffccebf3f4f

Your company should be investing in security proactively, not only to protect your company’s information, but also that of your trusted employees. While it’s great that Microsoft is taking action on this, there is no time to waste. We have solutions for you. Contact Upward for an update to your security plan!