Park Rag Morning 3/8/2017

1. We have no privacy

Tuesday morning, Wikileaks released 8,000 pages of information about tools the CIA uses to spy on people. According to the Wikileaks, essentially every piece of technology you have in your home has been compromised. Your webcam on your Mac Book and iPhone can be turned on at any time and record what you are doing. Your kid’s tablet can record all sounds. Your Windows PC is always listening and happy to report back to Langley (or maybe Kiev). Your Samsung “smart” TV may just be too smart and is happy to both video-tape and record whatever you are doing.

You may say, “Well it’s OUR CIA, so I have nothing to worry about.” That may be true, but the real take away of this story is two-fold. First, there are real implementations of being able to over your devices (even if you think they are off). Second, the CIA created holes and then left in more holes in technology so they could exploit them. The big problem with this is other hackers can exploit these too.

Why this matters to Park City is that our little town is a microcosm of important people.

Have any involvement with the US Ski Team? The same hacks the CIA created, someone like the Russians will exploit.

Are you on the City or County Council? Don’t devalue the influence you have. People want to know what you are saying to your partner about things.

Are you Bob Wheaton or Bill Rock? Have you ever hosted a foreign dignitary? Would information about that person be useful to anyone?

Do you work at Skull Candy? Do you have access to anything important business-wise?

What once was fiction and the subject of movies like Enemy of the State appears to be real. We know it sounds all tin-foil hat… but we’d suggest you think about what you say and do in front of any device that has a microphone or camera. Keep in mind that Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg famously tapes over his webcam and microphone on his PC.

If even in your wildest dreams you think someone may want information you have, you may want to consider being more careful. You never know who is watching and listening.

2. Goodbye Winter … until next year

Winter, we will miss you. Hopefully you got in a couple good ski days on Monday and Tuesday.

The National Weather Service says:

Continued to nudge the forecast toward the drier, consistent ec solution but kept at least low end pops as a nod toward the wetter GFS solution. This would keep temps in the 5 to 15 degree above normal range through the long range portion of the forecast.

3. NRA shoots itself in the foot

According to Utahpolicy.com, the Utah Legislature was close to allowing all Utahn’s to carry a concealed weapon. The only limiting factor was that a person could not have a round in the chamber (they could have a magazine with bullets inserted into the gun but not a bullet in the chamber). However, it appears that the NRA pushed hard against this limit. In frustration, members of the legislature decided to table the idea because they wee tired of the NRA.

It looks like the NRA can wear out its welcome …even in Utah. That said, the bill is likely to return next year.