Researching identity hacking and/or darker data use and collection

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UntoldStoryteller

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Hi there!

I'm looking for someone that has knowledge or resources on where to research how identities can be compromised or concealed, and personal data is accessed by ... well ... unscrupulous means. For my day job, I actually work in technology, so I have a strong sense of the legal ways we collect data (tracking pixels, retargeting, cookies, etc.). However, a central theme I want to explore in my novel is how and when we are giving away too much information online/via our technology use, and whether we can ever regain a sense of security and privacy. The plot centers around a rising tech executive who receives career coaching from a mentor that eventually begins teetering into stalker territory. There are a few key moments in the plot that I don't know how to make "technically" work. Can ya'll help with any of these?:

  • The MC's mentor is well known/has a good reputation, but there aren't a lot/any pictures of him that she can find. Ultimately, I want the mentor to have a double identity (someone she knows and would recognize). I'm trying to play off a lack of images as part of his character (reclusive, eccentric, etc.), but wondering how plausible that would be in today's world with all the cams and surveillance out there? Thoughts and/or technical feedback on feasibility of that ... or alternatives for concealing the visual identity of a character that, at the same time, should be publicly well-known? (not interested in masks, costumes, face change, etc.)
  • In the opening scene, the MC will open an email from the mentor that contains a tracking pixel (aka read receipt). I want to contrast that piece of technology with something "darker," but I don't know what that would be. The goal is to illustrate that the MC isn't naive in accepting a request from a reclusive stranger by explaining that she knows she's always being tracked (as we all are) ... rather, that she's simply lulled by a false sense of security and belief that data privacy isn't a problem when you have nothing to hide. What could an email realistically contain that would "track" her (maybe keeping tabs on her keystrokes or granting the recipient access to her email)? Would these require that she download something and/or click a link? I can probably weave her opening either action realistically into her behavior, just aiming for accuracy

That's it ... for now. ;)

Cheers and MANY thanks in advance!
 

ChaseJxyz

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What country is this? China (and Ecuador, too, I believe) have facial tracking cameras all over the place, but those are really only owned by the government. But those places are also super corrupt so if the mentor has a lot of influence (not necessarily Epstein-level but somewhere up there) then that data won't get into other people's hands. The CEO of my current company didn't have any pics of him online until he started managing our LinkedIn pages, but that's because he never bothered putting it out there. He's also from India, a country of a billion people, so any common-enough name would have so, so many people with the same name that looking people up would yield way too many false positives. My current legal name is also the name of a pro athlete, so googling my name to try to find my Facebook or anything will just show the athlete instead. There's still plenty of older (middle age-y) people who don't have Facebook/social media or grew up in a part of the world where smartphones and internet access isn't big, so no pics of them (or, more importantly, pics that aren't attached to their name/ID) is very possible. Lots of tech folx are from other countries so this is a good angle.

However, if the mentor is CURRENTLY in tech, especially America's, then at least their name is going to be all over the place, such as in company press releases or working with investors. They could always use a fake name, of course, but if they're a C-level exec it will be very difficult for them to not have to show their face at an event like TechCrunch Disrupt or the like. You can change a face really easily with facial hair, make up, hair/wigs...in order to get to the point to fool AIs it would have to be in a way that's obvious to humans, too (like the "dazzle" makeup). But eccentric people would wear big sunglasses indoors, too, so there's that.

For the second I'm gonna ask my friend who does infosec for the government, I'm sure there's things that we're not thinking of. I do digital makreting so I'm very familiar with things like tracking pixels, but for emails those don't work alot, because the mail server (like Yahoo or Gmail) "preloads" the pixel, so it doesn't get downloaded at the time you actually open the email. Big companies/universities might have something similar, too, to prevent stuff like this. Our email platform says that the majority of operating systems that open our emails are "robot" because of all this.

Would it be viable that the mentor give the MC a thumbdrive at some point? Like "hey I went over your proposal for the Sequoia Group, I marked the deck up with my feedback. I'm using this flashdrive because your startup is still super stealth and we don't want to risk anyone hacking your email, right ;) ?" The weakest link in any security system is the human, so tricking (or bribing....) them is your best bet to do malicious things. Just look at the Twitter thing last week, that was because someone bribed an employee for access. Flashdrives (or even plugging in phones to charge) is a big way to inject bad stuff (some government systems are so secure that when anything is plugged in, even just charging your phone, it sets off alarms and someone will hunt you down and yell at you). Theranos was so paranoid of spies/people stealing shit that they had installed trackers/keyloggers on all company laptops, so the company had access to personal email/accounts. Could the mentor somehow bribe/blackmail/trick an IT lackey to do this?

ETA I have returned! So pretty much all webmail clients have stuff in place to prevent bad stuff coming through emails. Older versions of Outlook.exe have vulnerabilities, which a normal person wouldn't use, but it's always possible that a large enough company has some older versions still around (because people sure do hate restarting their laptop to apply updates). The email could have an attachment like TotallyAPowerpoint.pptx.exe that the MC could download/run but you have to be pretty stupid to fall for that. But the mentor tricking the MC into using an infected flashdrive or twisting the arm of someone to put ("corporate") spyware on the computer is a lot more realistic, interesting, and think of the DRAMA! If the mentor works for/is connected with an investor for the MC's company (or board of directors or something), then they could make a stipulation that company computers need this spyware to protect against corporate espionage (just look at the Google/Waymo/Uber debacle, those were EXPENSIVE cases and something investors/execs would be scared to have happen at their own company).
 
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UntoldStoryteller

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YESS!!!!

Thanks, ChaseJxyz!!

What country is this? China (and Ecuador, too, I believe) have facial tracking cameras all over the place, but those are really only owned by the government. But those places are also super corrupt so if the mentor has a lot of influence (not necessarily Epstein-level but somewhere up there) then that data won't get into other people's hands. The CEO of my current company didn't have any pics of him online until he started managing our LinkedIn pages, but that's because he never bothered putting it out there. He's also from India, a country of a billion people, so any common-enough name would have so, so many people with the same name that looking people up would yield way too many false positives. My current legal name is also the name of a pro athlete, so googling my name to try to find my Facebook or anything will just show the athlete instead. There's still plenty of older (middle age-y) people who don't have Facebook/social media or grew up in a part of the world where smartphones and internet access isn't big, so no pics of them (or, more importantly, pics that aren't attached to their name/ID) is very possible. Lots of tech folx are from other countries so this is a good angle.

Set in the USA. Specifically, in Washington, DC area. None of the characters are in politics and this story doesn't have any political agenda or flavor ... I chose it more because I didn't want it to be set in one of the U.S.'s "biggies" like NYC or LA, but I DID want it to be "big enough" to have heavy hitting think tanks and corporate companies where the plot could realistically unfold with some level of weight that seemed realistic. You bring up a good point about surveillance culture in other countries and/or name commonality, etc. Those are awesome angles to consider as I flesh this out. I think I was going to make him a "long-time DC institute" but your idea may be both more realistic and more intriguing. Thank you!! I'll give that a ponder.

However, if the mentor is CURRENTLY in tech, especially America's, then at least their name is going to be all over the place, such as in company press releases or working with investors. They could always use a fake name, of course, but if they're a C-level exec it will be very difficult for them to not have to show their face at an event like TechCrunch Disrupt or the like. You can change a face really easily with facial hair, make up, hair/wigs...in order to get to the point to fool AIs it would have to be in a way that's obvious to humans, too (like the "dazzle" makeup). But eccentric people would wear big sunglasses indoors, too, so there's that.

You're right ... a few "light" cosmetic changes could also add to the air of eccentricity. I guess it isn't as IMPROBABLE or outlandish that he might conceal some aspects easily with simple wardrobe and cosmetic changes. Now that we're talking this through, I can think of a few examples -- specifically the Talented Mr. Ripley -- where that more subtle change of identity made the transformation more insidious and creepier. Might be something there. Again ... great food for thought, thanks.


For the second I'm gonna ask my friend who does infosec for the government, I'm sure there's things that we're not thinking of. I do digital makreting so I'm very familiar with things like tracking pixels, but for emails those don't work alot, because the mail server (like Yahoo or Gmail) "preloads" the pixel, so it doesn't get downloaded at the time you actually open the email. Big companies/universities might have something similar, too, to prevent stuff like this. Our email platform says that the majority of operating systems that open our emails are "robot" because of all this.

Would it be viable that the mentor give the MC a thumbdrive at some point? Like "hey I went over your proposal for the Sequoia Group, I marked the deck up with my feedback. I'm using this flashdrive because your startup is still super stealth and we don't want to risk anyone hacking your email, right ;) ?" The weakest link in any security system is the human, so tricking (or bribing....) them is your best bet to do malicious things. Just look at the Twitter thing last week, that was because someone bribed an employee for access. Flashdrives (or even plugging in phones to charge) is a big way to inject bad stuff (some government systems are so secure that when anything is plugged in, even just charging your phone, it sets off alarms and someone will hunt you down and yell at you). Theranos was so paranoid of spies/people stealing shit that they had installed trackers/keyloggers on all company laptops, so the company had access to personal email/accounts. Could the mentor somehow bribe/blackmail/trick an IT lackey to do this?


ETA I have returned! So pretty much all webmail clients have stuff in place to prevent bad stuff coming through emails. Older versions of Outlook.exe have vulnerabilities, which a normal person wouldn't use, but it's always possible that a large enough company has some older versions still around (because people sure do hate restarting their laptop to apply updates). The email could have an attachment like TotallyAPowerpoint.pptx.exe that the MC could download/run but you have to be pretty stupid to fall for that. But the mentor tricking the MC into using an infected flashdrive or twisting the arm of someone to put ("corporate") spyware on the computer is a lot more realistic, interesting, and think of the DRAMA! If the mentor works for/is connected with an investor for the MC's company (or board of directors or something), then they could make a stipulation that company computers need this spyware to protect against corporate espionage (just look at the Google/Waymo/Uber debacle, those were EXPENSIVE cases and something investors/execs would be scared to have happen at their own company).

AHHHH!!! ... yes and yes!! Agree ... there's a lot of potential for drama in these themes. You're touching on a lot of ideas swirling around my mind. Basically giving the premise away here ... but the punch line of the story is that there are three main characters in addition to Ava, the MC. And some others. But three that we have potential to play with. :) .... 1. The mentor (David Holmes) ... 2. her best friend at work (Sam Vincent) ... and 3. her romantic interest (Joshua Abrams). Our first and "most obvious" suspect -- aka red herring -- is Josh. He's an investor in the think tank, and she starts thinking he's checking up on her or jealous, etc. Then we have Sam. He knows all her dirty little work secrets, including her concerns about Josh, but isn't a suspect in Ava's eyes because they are so close and seems so harmless/mild-mannered ... BUT the reader knows that Sam "met" Ava when they were young in online chatrooms, and he hasn't disclosed that they knew each other in the past, so despite his seemingly harmless crush, something should not "feel" right in the readers' minds. Lastly, we start to question David. In addition to the eccentricities, he continues to ask Ana to do what feel like increasingly "gray" things in terms of collecting information and data about colleagues/rivals/even friends and family. She starts to feel uncomfortable about him, but he's also helped her land a ton of promotions so she's conflicted by her need to keep rising the corporate ladder. LONG PARAGRAPH SHORT ..... we eventually learn that Sam IS David (hence the whole question around how to hide David's visual identity, because she'd see Sam on a day to day basis and presumably recognize him). He's basically been digitally stalking her since they were kids and helped her succeed while also turning her against others as part of this obsession. KABOOM. Mind blown. (I'm hoping that's what the reader's mind will do anyway when it all falls together).

You hit the nail ON THE HEAD with: "If the mentor works for/is connected with an investor for the MC's company (or board of directors or something), then they could make a stipulation that company computers need this spyware to protect against corporate espionage (just look at the Google/Waymo/Uber debacle, those were EXPENSIVE cases and something investors/execs would be scared to have happen at their own company)" ... I dig it. Not only do I think David could give her a thumbdrive OR some form of "proprietary" tech (like a laptop), but he could switch hers out easily. Your point about an investor's involvement could even be a red herring in the build up around Josh as a potential suspect.

I didn't know that plugging in things like chargers might pose a risk, so that's something I'll do a little digging into. Thanks to your friend for that lead. Sounds like that could be another outlet (pun intended). I suspect our villain will need multiple ways to get information about her and I'm aiming for a slow burn, so maybe I'll just plant the seed with the idea of the pixel that gets filtered out by Outlook and slowly build up doubt about the mentor's -- and everyone else's ;) -- intentions.

Your thoughts were such a HUGE help. Thank you!
 

Bing Z

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Google and/or Apple/TomTom know where you are 24/7. Facebook + Instagram + WhatsApp may know everyone you have slept with and any ongoing affairs. (WhatsApp messages/calls are encrypted end-to-end, so they don't know what is talked, but if you have been calling your attractive boss every evening at 11:30 for an hour's chat, chances are something interesting is going on.) The info is readily available to the government with the jurisdiction (and a warrant).

There are people who have a generic look, the kind of face that you may easily miss in a group of people. This is perhaps the best chance for the mentor, in addition to the same unimpressed photo taken a decade (or a few) ago. In order to not have a driver's license photo and not in any airport security systems with or without facial recognition, he should never fly (acrophobia or aero-phobia?)

Another possibility is misdirection. I know a guy who maintains an Instagram account and puts up tons of photos of things & people he finds interesting--except his own shots. It is possible for one to mistakenly think one of the hot guys in the album is him. Now if that guy has a secret crush on a handsome man and takes photo of the hunk every couple days and uploads them...
 

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No problem! I really love your idea and the concept. I do digital marketing and live in Silicon Valley (not technically, I'm in East Bay, but non-locals don't know the difference lol) and have worked for tech companies of various sizes...as do my friends, including ones who live in other tech hubs such as Seattle and DC/NoVA, so your question was really in my wheelhouse of things I have firsthand experience on. I also love watching dumpster fires such as Theranos (they were my office neighbors!), Uber, Juicero, WeWork...just drama in general. HBO's Silicon Valley is spot on and it's funny until it's not, like the time I was invited to a corporate event and it ended with a surprise Shakira concert. Young billionaires (or people who believe they will become young billionaires) have egos like no one else and are such good fodder for stories.

I would absolutely love to beta read this when it gets to that point :) It's such an aweomse idea
 

UntoldStoryteller

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Another possibility is misdirection. I know a guy who maintains an Instagram account and puts up tons of photos of things & people he finds interesting--except his own shots. It is possible for one to mistakenly think one of the hot guys in the album is him. Now if that guy has a secret crush on a handsome man and takes photo of the hunk every couple days and uploads them...

That's a great idea, Bing! Thanks. I hadn't thought of that, but that's an important call out. Depending on the nature of the content, misleading social posts could lend well to the cat and mouse game (either for the "true" villain or the red herring(s). It's funny, but weaving social into it never even crossed my mind (blame it on coronavirus/quarantine brain???). I just imagined her Googling him and going on with her day ... and never looking at anything again. What a huge gap in my plot that can be filled with something that would make this more interesting. Good call. Thanks!
 

UntoldStoryteller

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I do digital marketing and live in Silicon Valley

Ahh! Another technie! I work in digital marketing, too (but in Austin)! Austin is so laid back though, I feel like we miss out on some of the juicy scandals like Theranos, etc. You're really in the thick of things, Chase, so I'd LOVE to have your point of view on this as a write. I'm working on chapter one now, so I'd like to shoot that your way once it's ... well ... once it's anything, haha. Of course, I'd love to return the favor. If you're looking for a beta, feel free to share. :)
 
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FletcherHavarti

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Great suggestions above. Another thought: Is it possible that the mentor is pulling a "Milli Vanilli" and using someone else as a stand-in for public appearances? If he stayed off of social media before becoming famous, and isn't really a household name, maybe he could have a trusted friend pose as him at public events so nobody would know what he actually looks like.

Your concept sounds cool and timely. This is definitely something I would want to read.
 

lonestarlibrarian

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Just talking about the first point--

Our town is a small, poor, rural remote town. A wealthy doctor who owns hospitals in another state was looking for something interesting to do, so he bought up large parts of Main Street and started renovating them, sinking vast quantities of funds into doing so. Ultimately, he had wanted to rent them out to businesses and revitalize the area, but somehow didn't seem to grasp that in order to support things like a steakhouse or a movie theater or a bowling alley, you need to have a large population with disposable income... which we lack. He did end up renting to small mom-and-pop businesses, like an ice cream parlor or a doughnut shop, but all those places went under pretty quickly because his rent was so high... and there was a lack of population combined with a lack of disposable income. He ended up on the City Council and is well-known by name... but he refuses to allow having his picture taken. When the newspaper tried to run a photo of him to celebrate his City Council position, he pitched a fit and had it pulled. I've probably bumped into him two or three times in various places, so he's not a recluse... but he keeps himself to just a name as much as possible.

You also see it on a lot of episodes of Undercover Boss... people run big, famous companies, but have very little name and face recognition, or perhaps the "front" person has a famous name and a famous face, but an equally powerful (or more powerful) person behind him is totally anonymous. And a lot of affluent people, who have genuine security fears, will totally be on board with keeping themselves out of the limelight so as not to make themselves (or their spouses or children) targets.

Likewise, suppose ordinary people like us hop on Amazon and buy a USB cable. Famous people with name recognition often avoid making direct purchases through their own real names. They'll do those sorts of things through another identity and another address-- probably an assistant's-- to keep the product from being tampered with. So I would expect that "keeping a low profile" is part of a larger picture, and has many facets to it.

And, hypothetically, suppose you had gone to someone's wedding, and suppose their father had a certain sort of job that didn't allow him to be on social media, period. (The sort of job that comes with 24/7 government surveillance on your private home to make sure you're not selling secrets to Communists at your kitchen table. :p ) And suppose you were told that, if you happened to want to share your own pictures to FB, to take care to avoid sharing pictures with him in it. Not a sort of call-attention-to-it kind of warning, but a gentle private reminder from those close to him to be thoughtful.

So-- sure. I'd have no problems believing in someone who keeps a low profile. We're so used to being bombarded by the rich and famous who eat their celebrity up with a spoon... but it's pretty normal for those who are richer and more powerful than them, or even ordinary people who have daily access to critical information about sensitive subjects.
 

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If Milli were an AI robot ... then yes :)

Great suggestions above. Another thought: Is it possible that the mentor is pulling a "Milli Vanilli" and using someone else as a stand-in for public appearances? If he stayed off of social media before becoming famous, and isn't really a household name, maybe he could have a trusted friend pose as him at public events so nobody would know what he actually looks like.

Your concept sounds cool and timely. This is definitely something I would want to read.

Thanks, Fletcher!! That's a good concept. In chapter one, we get a sense that he uses some form of technical theatrics to hide his identity for most big events. Instead of a human stand in, he gives a keynote address via an AI robot, as an example. So same church, different pew. I think there may be other ways to expand on your general premise though. Really like that idea. Thanks for your feedback!
 

UntoldStoryteller

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So-- sure. I'd have no problems believing in someone who keeps a low profile. We're so used to being bombarded by the rich and famous who eat their celebrity up with a spoon... but it's pretty normal for those who are richer and more powerful than them, or even ordinary people who have daily access to critical information about sensitive subjects.

You know what Lonestar, I think you're right. This guy isn't meant to be a CELEBRITY. He's an important, corporate consultant, but it probably isn't THAT strange that he doesn't have tons of pictures of him floating around. Particularly if he's a little bit like your original example and not keen on being in the spotlight. Thanks. I'm probably over-thinking this one a bit. Between the good ideas above and your point ... the idea isn't too far fetched. Thanks!
 

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Thanks, Fletcher!! That's a good concept. In chapter one, we get a sense that he uses some form of technical theatrics to hide his identity for most big events. Instead of a human stand in, he gives a keynote address via an AI robot, as an example. So same church, different pew. I think there may be other ways to expand on your general premise though. Really like that idea. Thanks for your feedback!

Glad to be of help! Just be aware, as soon as the robot wins a Grammy, everybody's gonna figure out it was lip-syncing and its singing career will be over. ;)
 
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