Digital Detachment
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“Lost Laptop” Photo via Flickr |
After retracing steps, I concluded that the backpack and laptop had to be at the restaurant. Later that evening, I went to look at location and deactivation options through Apple. Unfortunately, their service is of little use for devices not connected to the Internet and not powered on. My login offered some prevention for unauthorized access but files inside were not encrypted. I thought about identity theft and someone pulling personal account information. Would I have to change all of my credit cards? I also envisioned someone wiping the serial number and data to sell the computer. I visited Epic Burger’s website where I found an after-hours service number to call, as well as email to contact the location.
Encrypted Precautions
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Beware which files you save where! |
Afterward, I pulled back and paused. In the scheme of things, the loss maybe wasn’t as big of a “fall” as I had made it out to be. Yes, losing a device such as a laptop was a big expense. Yes, I could be exposing my personal information. And yes, alerting bank and credit accounts, along with ID monitoring agencies was more than a hassle. Fortunately, I had already taken some precautions by storing important assets in the cloud (you can probably guess where) before this accident happened.
When Epic Burger opened the next morning, I contacted them. I described what the bag looked like and the first employee who answered said they did not have it. A second look from the manager, however, confirmed that they received my messages and had already placed the backpack in their office for safekeeping. I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked them for their honesty and diligence. In picking up the backpack, a simple thank you would not suffice, so I shared a nominal tip for doing such an honest deed.
Unexpected Outcomes
Learning from the experience I acknowledged that loss of laptops and devices happens—we are only human. I also decided that there are a few more files on my laptop that should be encrypted and put behind multi-factor authentication at-rest in the cloud, not on my laptop. Similarly, there are some files on my laptop that should not be saved there long-term at all. And passwords for both can always be longer, more unique and changed. The world can be an unforgiving place and we need to take steps to batten down the hatches, defend against data leakage, loss, misuse or worse. At the same time, even in the age of ubiquitous digital danger, let’s not lose sight of the “Epic” goodness that exists in humanity. Prepare for the worst, indeed, but do not stop appreciating or hoping for the best.