“Security” Overused in Our Unsecured World

Have you noticed the use of the word “security” a lot lately?

The marketing world knows that with all the bad actors in the world today, just hearing the word can bring comfort like, well, a security blanket. Sort of like the feeling you get after closing all the windows just before it rains. Let it pour. You’re secure.

You know what I mean. It just feels better when you have all the bases covered. We have police and fire protection. You can buy insurance plans for your health, car, house, life, boat, cabin, even your identity. They make you feel secure, right?

The word “security” is often used in a business name such as “Lester ‘n’ Dot’s Computer Security and Upholstery Service.” It might also be used in a business slogan like “Providing Computer Security Since Windows 95.” There’s even a website called Security Business Name Generator that does just that. I entered the word “secure” to build a name. It created 18,205 names, names like “Secursio,” “Secure Artillery,” “Secure Aromatherapy.” Genuinely helpful.

Security businesses really just need to get the feeling of security across, like a bank tries to. Which bank would you be more likely to save at, “First Security Bank and Trust” or “Bank of Hooterville?”

Security Everything

You hear the word security used with many things today – food security, national security, security clearance, security camera, security guard, security measures, financial security. Apparently, we need a lot of security.

You don’t even need to have “security” in a business name to imply security. Remember Tripp’s Tire shop in Red Wing? Their slogan was “Get tired at Tripp’s and your trip won’t tire you.” Tire security.

How many data privacy agreements have you scrolled through to click “I accept?” Often, these privacy statements say that securing your personal information is their highest priority. Yeah, right after profitability.

You can monitor and control your home security from anywhere on the internet. Doorbells now let you answer your door from your phone from anywhere. Garage doors can be opened and closed from anywhere.

Blocking spam phone calls has become so necessary that there’s now a home phone whose main central button is called Block Call which adds the number to a bad people list.

Staying secure is nearly a full-time job now when it comes to anything connected to the internet. Constant updates, spam, viruses, malware, ransomware and much more require our constant vigilance to the point of having to buy programs that watch for these things for us. And we get to pay for these services forever.

Also, in order to make us more secure, we are required to use security measures that eat up our time. Two-factor authentication is one of them, where you must first enter your ID and password, then enter a code sent to you via email or text. If you share access to a service with your spouse, you might have said “Honey? Please read me the code you just got in a text.”

Slowing Down Thieves

Recently, Apple came out with a new layer of security called “Stolen Device Protection” which can better stop a thief from getting your personal info. The idea is that, even if you are already logged into your phone, you still need to use facial or fingerprint identification to get to certain personal information. And if you want to change a major password, it makes you wait an hour. This presumably slows down a thief and allows you time to lock down the phone remotely from another device.

The day after I set this on my iPhone, Catherine and I decided it was time to trade in our phones for new ones. If you’ve ever upgraded a cellphone, you know the process is long, expensive and different every time. It never seems to get easier. It took three trips to the Verizon store to complete the purchases and it wasn’t their fault. Let me explain.

Swapping phones involves steps that, to the security program, look like a thief is taking over the old phone. I told Jordan, the store manager, that I had turned it on. He was astounded when he turned off that feature that we had to wait an hour. He really knew his stuff but he hadn’t seen this before. I should have disabled it earlier. This could be a problem for iPhone swap outs if lots of people use it.

We went home, returning later to finish up. However, Jordan called me later and said he couldn’t finish resetting the old phone unless I showed my face to it. I guess it wanted to say goodbye. Another trip to the store, a one-second flash of my face and I was on my way back home. 

We face many existential threats that we have no control over such as supervolcanos, asteroid strikes and gamma ray bursts. But the threats we can cause are more likely. Nuclear war, climate change, engineered pandemics, artificial intelligence and infrastructure threats are just some of them. Try living in your home without water and electricity for even a day.

Security is front and center now. Gone are the days when we left the house unlocked and the keys in the ignition.

Security is a comforting word. It’s just too bad we need to use it so much.