In theory, we have never lived in such a secure environment. In practice, this is the greatest illusion of all.

Open borders don’t just describe a total loss of national frontier control; it means that, as individuals, we live in glass houses.

We refuel the car or have it serviced; the government and bank, and multiple agencies, immediately know how much you put in your tank, the garage where you had your car maintained, and how much you spent. They – the hidden eyes – even know how much you have left in your bank account.

I want to purchase a theatre ticket or need to park my car; I need to download an app. To read a menu, I need to use my smartphone to read the QR code.

I need to create a menu to shop online. I cannot close the deal without providing ‘feedback.’

A police officer pulls you over and asks for your documents. In fact, he already knows more about you than you can remember.

At the airport, you are shepherded like sheep through and along countless aisles, navigating endless security points. Fact: As soon as you made your booking, the hidden eye again knows more about you than you yourself can remember.

Apart from a neighbour, I had not told anyone of my intention to drive from Riga to Cartagena in Mediterranean Spain. It was a four-day, 3,850 km journey by road

Yet, as soon as I closed my car door and opened my GPS, the voice interrupted. ‘Your route to Cartagena is quiet as usual.’ I am still trying to figure out how my intended journey was known beforehand; maybe before I had decided to go?

Open borders

Naively, living in a hi-tech internet world of battlements, turrets, castle walls, ramparts and moats to maintain my privacy, I presume that writing, sending and receiving emails using a regular email address I have had for decades are private.

Dream on

Writing an email to a friend, I touched upon several vacuous subjects. As I ambled across the keyboard, I mentioned that I needed a holiday but couldn’t decide where to go.

After sending my trivial pursuit of no news today, I resumed browsing on social media.

Guess What

Immediately afterwards, I was plagued with online advertisements offering, you guessed it, holiday and hotel suggestions.

So, are regular email accounts and social media messenger opportunities safe for communicating with friends, family, lovers, employers, etc.

Is the postal service a viable alternative for important documents or expensive gifts?  Decidedly not.

Sending an ordered book to a customer, he and I paid an additional sum for tracking, a considerable extra amount of hard-earned cash to pay for door-to-door tracking.

It never arrived

The empty package did arrive – back at my post office several weeks later. Was there an explanation, compensation or redress?  You can’t be serious. Maybe the security screen at post offices and banks is to protect us from criminals.

The Bottom Line

If you would be seriously harmed or scammed if a message or email sent was intercepted by a malevolent actor, remember there is always a risk and act accordingly. MICHAEL WALSH.

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