We keep hoards of information on our electronic devices. Bank statements. Work samples. Financial spreadsheets. Access to our credit card and email information. Even our culture is present on our smartphone, tablet, e-reader, and/or laptop. We store our libraries, movies, home videos, pictures and documents. Never mind just our contact lists, we have the majority of our lives on the “cloud”.
McAfee recently estimated the cost of our digital lives to be about $55,000. That value is only going to increase. It has become almost frighteningly easy to upload personal data onto digital devices. Not only are they used like desktops, but today’s smartphones are more powerful than the computer that sent Apollo 11 to the moon. They are also less often equipped with security and are highly vulnerable to malware and identity theft since they are used in more places on more networks. And people care very much for the newest Apps, which can offer easy access for hackers.
I know I’m focused on economics, but I think a large part of business is now deeply rooted in technology and in the ways it affects our markets. Attaching a number to our digital lives is like attaching a number to the lives we lead on the Internet and whether or not there are laws that govern the access of our private lives. Going back to our previous discussion, Google could control the world. Yahoo can actually delete people’s emails.
McAfee conducted the survey- and they’re offering a protection plan for just the sort of vulnerability they’re describing. McAfee All Access ($99.99) is designed specifically against malware and viruses for all your Internet-connected devices. It appears that our $55,000 is online someplace, and it now requires its own insurance.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/28/your-digital-life-its-worth-nearly-55-000-and-its-at-risk/
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