“Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.”
You’ve probably heard that in many different contexts. Today, I’ll tie it to cybersecurity and how it deals with consent.
Consent is a very nebulous and universal term in the data world. In medical data, it’s called “informed consent,” which means that you and your doctor are on the same page regarding your care. There’s also a facet of it for education that protects you in many ways. For example, some laws and regulations that ensure your data is not being collected for advertisements targeting you at school. Some rules also cover what steps companies that do business with the District must take to protect your private information. However, outside of doctors and businesses, you have a part in this personally as well!
As you spend more time in school, you will inevitably meet more people and make more friends. As you get to know each other, you will also probably share information about your lives, such as celebrating birthdays, favorite sports teams, your middle names, where you were born, and many other neat facts about each other.
In some cases, those facts are used to put together passwords or serve as clues to password recovery. Here’s where consent and the opening sentence come into play. You may figure out someone’s password. With that password, you can access their device and data. You’re committing a crime if you do that, even as a joke or out of curiosity!
In Texas, it’s called a Breach of Computer Security. This is when someone knowingly accesses a computer, computer network, or computer system without the device/information owner’s consent. In addition, the penalties are more severe if you access data that can identify a person, also called Personal Identifiable Information (PII). There are also heavier penalties if someone accesses the computer intending to alter, damage, or delete property. Remember, it is a crime for even accessing the computer without the owner’s consent, even if you didn’t take money or download data.
If you are on the network on your own device and come across a folder someone forgot to secure or didn’t secure properly, please leave it alone and notify your teacher. Although your curiosity may get the best of you, the problems that come with accessing that data are not worth it.
Please remember this as you make new friends with each passing year. This knowledge can keep you out of trouble and on a good path.
GG,
Pete