It will end in anger.
For a week, at least.
A week will do.
Heres how it went and how you might do a better job, if you ever dare to try.
Day 1: Hit them where it hurts
It had been a long day.
In fact, it was Blue Monday, possibly the worst day of the year to do anything.
So, like an idiot, I tried to do something.
If you didnt know already, now you do itsData Privacy Week(January 27th to 31st)!
I asked for 20 minutes of their time to talk to them about digital privacy.
My wife looked at me like Id slapped her in the face.
My children didnt even take their eyes off their phones.
Ugh, you’re able to have 10 minutes, my wife replied.
I could work with that.
Can you do this quicker, just?
It had been about 30 seconds.
Shes a good woman.
She was just exhausted.
I knew I had my foot in the door, though.
I mean, she was still listening.
She was still looking at me.
The signs were that shed even understood what Id been talking about.
In my wife’s case, it was shopping.
She hadn’t really considered how much information she’d entrusted to all these retailers.
Even the kids' ears pricked up when they considered all the fashion drops they’d signed up for.
Had they stopped to consider that anyone intercepting any of that data was in for a serious payday?
It was enough to convince them each to use a VPN for a week.
I installed our threebest VPNs one for each:NordVPN,Surfshark,andExpressVPNon their phones.
I set them to auto-connect and then I walked away and hoped for the best.
Day 2: Keep it simple
I went for a fresh start on Day 2.
I called my sister.
I call my sister once a week.
We fell out years ago when we stopped talking, so we agreed to speak more often.
Normally, we ask about each other’s kids.
We talk about mum getting old.
Today, I was going to hit her with data privacy.
Entry-level stuff: passwords.
It turns out my sister is a data privacy enthusiast!
All this time wasted.
More importantly, she uses a different password for every service.
And did she know why this was important?
Yes, she did.
So, how on Earth did she know this?
Well, it’s what can only be explained as divine intervention.
Who else in their right mind would take on such a thankless task?
I tried her out on cookies.
You mean those notices you get every time you go to a website?
Yeah, I know youre not supposed to but I just hit Accept All.
Whos got the time?
I shouldn’t have pushed it.
Note to self: keep it simple.
it’s possible for you to decide that for yourself, but, you know what?
I dont think its going to stop them playingBaconany time soon but they thought about it.
They definitely thought about it.
They want to get online and they dont care how it happens.
Snapchat streaks trump all.
But while the habit is strong, this is a pretty easy one to fix.
It seemed like a target worth aiming for, especially with a family holiday around the corner.
Yeah, that’ll do.
It didnt take my family long to understand that.
We talked about the early days of phishing attacks.
Sort codes and account numbers, and how things have got more sophisticated since.
I showed everyone a particularly well-designed phishing email about a free lunch from Deliveroo.
They all got the point.
I made my own lunch.
Day 6: Tough cookie
Ill tell you now: cookies are a bridge too far.
I can explain cookies but to get people to reject them is very, very difficult.
Quite honestly, Im not sure its worth the effort either.
My family was interested in the idea of cookies.
The kids had never even heard of them.
My wife was aware of the pop-ups.
She clicks Accept All.
She was unaware of the consequences.
It introduces the idea of the dreaded third-party cookie too but stops short of the details.
So, now my family understands something about cookies.
They get that third-party ones track us.
They appreciate that we have a choice of whether or not to accept them.
But they still want to press Accept All.
They dont really care if companies track them.
They have no interest if businesses are getting rich off our data.
Its not realistic to get rich off our own data.
There just isnt enough of it.
Yes, its an outrage but why get emotional about it?
Let the world turn and let us save time.
Day 7: Your mother should know
My week had been building up to this.
Could I use all Id learned for the ultimate challenge in digital privacy education?
Could I explain it to my mum?
It turned out, much to my surprise, that I barely had to.
My mum is old.
There are no two ways about it.
She is at an age where you just cant frame it any other way.
But stupid, she is not.
Like I say, though, its best to begin with passwords because everyone understands those.
It worked like a charm.
I dont trust them and I dont want all the crap on my phone were her exact words.
She will be toast, however, if John Lewis or Marks & Spencer ever get hacked again.
Both have her financial details on file for easier purchases.
I let her know that that might not be a good idea in the future.
She was, however, the most concerned member of my family when it came to third-party cookies.
I dont want to give all my information to people who I dont even know who they are.
Still, impressive stuff from the old girl.
I knew we were related.
So, what did my family and I learn?
Well, first, it is very possible to teach ones family about data privacy.
But you cant make them care.
What else did I learn?
Oh yes, that kids are terrible for data privacy.
At least mine are.
They have almost no concern for it.
Theyre a generation of little patience.
They don’t actually browse much anyway.
Age makes you paranoid and paranoia is one of the pillars of the security community.
My mum might finally have found her people.
So, what did my family notice from employing all of these new habits over a week?
And, for them, thats not very compelling.
If you’re doing your job properly, then theres not much you’ll notice.
Next time theyre making a purchase over public Wi-Fi, their payment details will at least be encrypted.
Because it’s probably my credit card.
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