October 31, 2026
Security: The Biggest Bluff of All Time?
Are we truly secure, or have we simply learned to trust the systems that collect our information?
By Bhuwan Bawadekar
4 min read
Security!
When someone tells you that you are secure and that your personal data is protected in their hands, do you really believe it? If yes, have you ever stopped to question that belief?
Technology is evolving every single day. Our access to information is increasing, and so is our dependence on digital systems. But is our understanding of security evolving at the same pace?
People of almost every age group are becoming part of the digital world. We trust applications and software because their providers claim that their systems are secure. Without always questioning how information is collected, stored, processed, or shared, we upload personal details and allow technology to become part of our everyday lives.
We communicate, interact, share, and consume information in different forms. Our social interactions, preferences, habits, and even our smallest digital activities can leave traces of information behind.
And technology can use that information.
Think about it: how often have you searched for something and later noticed similar recommendations appearing across different platforms? How much of your digital behaviour is being recorded, analysed, or used to influence what you see?
Technology doesn't necessarily need to control your decisions directly. Sometimes, understanding your behaviour is enough to influence your choices.
Security and Privacy: Are They Really the Same?
This brings us to an important distinction: security and privacy are not the same thing.
Security is about protecting systems and information against unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or destruction. Privacy is also concerned with how personal information is collected, used, shared, and retained.
A system might have strong technical security measures, but that alone doesn't answer every question about how responsibly personal information is handled.
Consider a real-world example.
In 2024, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalised an order involving InMarket Media, a digital marketing and data aggregation company.
The FTC had alleged that InMarket collected precise location information through its own applications and third-party applications that incorporated its software development kit (SDK). According to the FTC, this information was combined with other data to develop consumer profiles and target advertising without adequately informing consumers or ensuring informed consent.
The final order prohibited the sale, sharing, or licensing of precise location data and introduced additional privacy requirements.
What makes this example important is the bigger question it raises:
When someone grants an application permission to access their location for a particular feature, do they fully understand how that information might be used beyond that feature?
This is not an argument that every application behaves this way. It is a reminder that permission, transparency, and informed consent matter.
Beyond Hackers: The Human Side of Cybersecurity
Now, let's move to another important aspect of cybersecurity: hackers.
People often hear the word hacker and immediately associate it with criminals who steal information or destroy systems. But hacking is much broader than that.
Hackers can study systems, understand their internal workings, identify weaknesses, and discover ways to interact with them that ordinary users might never consider.
Not every hacker is malicious. Ethical hackers use their knowledge to identify vulnerabilities and improve security, while malicious attackers exploit weaknesses for harmful purposes.
However, cybersecurity is not limited to hacking or protecting systems from unauthorised access. There are several other threats that people should understand if they want to protect themselves.
Among them is social engineering.
And within this broader area lies something particularly powerful: manipulation.
Manipulation can make someone perform an action without fully realising why they are doing it.
An attacker doesn't always need sophisticated software or advanced technical knowledge. Sometimes, gaining someone's trust, understanding their behaviour, and exploiting their emotions can be enough.
Consider a common phishing scenario.
Imagine receiving a message claiming that your bank account has experienced an unauthorised transaction. The message creates urgency and asks you to click a link to verify your identity.
You become worried, react immediately, and enter your credentials on a fake website.
You may believe that you are protecting your account, while unknowingly handing your information to an attacker.
This is not just a theoretical concern. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) identifies fake account-verification and unauthorised-transaction messages as common phishing techniques. It advises people to avoid suspicious links and verify questionable communications directly with the organisation through trusted channels.
The interesting part is that the attack doesn't necessarily begin with breaking a password or exploiting a software vulnerability.
It begins by influencing a human decision.
Your Behaviour Is Also Data
Consider how much information a person's digital activities can reveal.
A simple habit, such as following a particular social media page, regularly reading certain content, or interacting with specific posts, may reveal interests and preferences.
Individually, these activities might seem insignificant. But when multiple pieces of information are combined, they can help build a detailed picture of someone's behaviour.
An attacker might use such information to create a convincing phishing message, impersonate someone familiar, or manipulate a person into taking an action that benefits the attacker.
The most concerning part is that the person may believe the decision was entirely their own, without recognising the influence behind it.
This is why cybersecurity should never be understood as merely installing antivirus software, creating strong passwords, or avoiding suspicious links.
It is also about understanding how our information is used, recognising psychological manipulation, questioning what we trust, and becoming aware of the decisions we make in the digital world.
So, What Should We Actually Trust?
We cannot avoid technology, nor should we necessarily want to.
But we can learn to use it with awareness rather than blind trust.
We should question permissions, understand privacy policies, recognise suspicious communication, and think before sharing personal information.
Security is not a promise that should be accepted without questions. It is something that requires continuous attention, responsible practices, and informed decisions.
Perhaps the real question is not whether technology is secure.
Perhaps the real question is:
How much do we actually understand about the security we trust?
And if we don't understand it, why do we wait until something goes wrong to start learning about cybersecurity?
References and Further Reading
1. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
FTC Finalizes Order with InMarket Prohibiting It from Selling or Sharing Precise Location Data (2024).
2. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Phishing and Spoofing: Tip Sheet.
Disclaimer: This is an independent educational and opinion-based article about cybersecurity, privacy, and social engineering. Real-world examples are based on publicly available sources. The article does not intend to make unsupported allegations against any individual or organisation.