Is there a chance that someone could be stealing your most profitable business secrets? Competitive intelligence isn’t new, but it certainly has gotten easier with the introduction of ubiquitous high resolution cameras (smartphones), miniature storage devices that hold massive amounts of data (USB drives) and advanced tools of human manipulation (social networking).
Dyson, the British engineering firm behind the popular bagless vacuum cleaners and Airblade hand dryers, accused their German counterpart, Bosch, of planting a mole, or corporate spy, inside their headquarters for two years to steal vital research and development information. Bosch has denied any wrongdoing and refuses to return the technology or intellectual property. In an odd twist, Bosch hasn’t publicly denied planting an inside spy to siphon competitive intelligence from their rival.
In a world of highly competitive and rapid technological advancements, this sort of news brings to mind three crucial questions for businesses wanting to protect their intellectual property:
Privacy. Or lack of it, to be specific. This past week, nude photos of Duchess Catherine (formerly Kate Middleton) were published in several French tabloids. The photos were taken from hundreds of meters away using sophisticated photographic equipment to capture a moment meant to be highly private.
Also this week, Mitt Romney was secretly videotaped at a small fundraising event dismissing 47% of the electorate as victims who take advantage of government and the taxation system.
Put aside for a minute what you think of Kate or Mitt, and ask yourself what you BELIEVE about our right to privacy.
Some people say that in the digital surveillance age, you are naive to think that anything is private. Everything outside of your own walls is fair game. But Romney and the Duchess thought that they were operating inside of their own walls. Others argue that we are entering a dangerous age of constant surveillance, and that the government and corporations are gaining too much access to our images, words and thoughts.
It’s time for young adults to head off to college or move away from home for the first time. This is by far the highest risk group for identity theft for several reasons. When these kids leave the nest, it’s the first time they are getting true financial independence, which they might never have been trained to handle. They have access to credit cards, new bank accounts, and they’re managing it themselves. That may be a huge red flag that there’s going to be trouble. Secondly, they’re going into an environment where their stuff is not particularly protected. They’re in a dorm room or apartment, they’ve got roommates that may need extra cash; they know they can take advantage of them. So it’s a high risk environment. The third reason is because they do so much online. There’s so much social media interaction and that’s where tons of information is stolen. Take the steps listed below and talk to your newly-independent kids about implementing them. It will help them out not just this year but will also help them build their financial future going forward. Your identity is pretty much everything in terms of your net worth. You’ve got to take care of it now.
Satisfaction with social-networking powerhouse Facebook has slumped, according to the latest survey from the American Customer Satisfaction Index — hitting a new record-low score in the social media category that placed it in the five lowest-scoring companies out of more than 230 surveyed. There are several immediate factors that undermine user trust:
Inconsistency. Facebook’s user interface changes constantly (think Timeline) and this inconsistency leaves users feeling like they don’t know what to expect next from the social media site. Consistency builds trust, but Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t seem to have much vision for consistency.
Lack of Transparency. The average user has very little comfort with or knowledge about how Facebook is collecting, analyzing, using and selling their personal data. While Facebook has a range of privacy and security settings, most users still don’t comprehend the enormity of the information that Facebook collects on them. This lack of transparency leaves users with a bad taste in their mouth, like they are being cleverly deceived for the sake of profit.
America’s top Privacy & Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo has appeared on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper, Fox & in front of audiences including the Department of Defense, Pfizer, Homeland Security and hundreds of corporations and associations of all sizes. His high-content, humorous, audience-interactive style delivers all of the expertise with lots of entertainment. Come ready to laugh and learn about this mission-critical, bottom-line enhancing topic.
John Sileo is an award-winning author and keynote speaker on the dark art of deception (identity theft, fraud training, data privacy, social media manipulation) and its polar opposite, the powerful use of trust, to achieve success. He is CEO of The Sileo Group, which advises teams on how to multiply performance by building a culture of deep trust.
Fraud Training Expert John Sileo has appeared recently on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper, Fox Business, Fox & Friends and in Newsweek and USA Today. He speaks around the world on the dark art of deception (identity theft, social engineering, fraud detection, manipulation defense, data breach, social media privacy) and the powerful use of trust. His satisfied clients include the Pentagon, FDIC, Pfizer, FTC, Blue Cross, among hundreds of others. Learn more about protecting your bottom line by training your organization on proactive fraud detection. Watch John perform a humorous but effective fraud training in front of an audience of thousands.
Anderson Cooper’s 1st show of the year brought a panel of experts to discuss New Year’s resolutions, why we make them and how we can better keep them. Identity theft expert John Sileo closed out the show with 3 Tips for Avoiding Scams in the new year. Click on the video to the left to view the segment. Anderson and John discuss smartphone stupidity, passwords and social networking privacy.
Identity Theft Expert John Sileo Appears on the Anderson Cooper New Year’s Resolution Special.
John Sileois an award-winning author andspeaks internationallyon the dark art of deception (identity theft, data privacy, social media manipulation) and it’s polar opposite, the powerful use of trust, to achieve success. He is CEO of The Sileo Group, which advises teams on how to multiply results and increase performance by building a culture of deep trust. His clients include the Department of Defense, Pfizer, the FDIC, and Homeland Security. Sample his keynote or media appearances on Anderson Cooper, 60 Minutes or Fox Business. Contact him on 800.258.8076.
Do you have a nagging sense that Facebook isn’t always straight with you about how they share your personal information, photos, posts, friend lists, networks, likes and surfing habits? That they are selling your data in ways that you have never even imagined?
Your instincts are dead on. Facebook has been saying one thing to our faces and doing another behind our backs. Facebook is in pre-IPO mode and has the propaganda machine running overtime like Big Brother at an Animal Farm.
Enter the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC just released a formal complaint identifying eight counts against Facebook for violating the Federal Trade Commission Act. The FTC confirmed what we’ve always known: Facebook tells us what they think we want to hear, not necessarily the truth. Here are the details of Facebook’s dishonesty:
Under the guise of increasing user privacy, Facebook has consistentlyprovided their advertisers with ever-expanding access to sensitive user information, not less.
Business Killers: Identity Theft and Data Breach Protection Webinar on November 10
On November 10, I will host an interactive webinar sponsored by Deluxe that will explore how small businesses can protect themselves from identity theft. As someone who lost more than $300,000 and my small business to identity theft, this is a topic I care about deeply. In addition to delivering keynote speeches at conferences, I also provide consulting and guidance to organizations like the Federal Trade Commission, Pfizer and the Department of Defense on how to best protect the sensitive data inside of their organizations.
During this multi-part webinar, I will provide simple, actionable tools and advice to help small businesses protect their data and retain information privacy. I’ll also explain how the information economy has shifted the competitive landscape and increased our data exposure. Attendees will learn the following:
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