No, I Will Not Be Doing That

My company moved to a new email system for some damn reason, and today was the day they switched over. They sent clear, detailed instructions on how to get it set up on your phone (No, really. Step by step, screenshots and everything. Should have been bulletproof). I was following them when suddenly I was not seeing what the instructions said I should be seeing, so I called the help desk.

The guy that answered was friendly, and he asked me to download an ap called Beyondtrust which would allow him to remotely control my phone and finish the install.

I said no.

“Look, can you just tell me how to fix it? I trust you (and I do) but I just really hate giving remote control of my electronics to anyone. I'm not an idiot, I first went online in the early 90s with an Atari ST series computer. I've never been phished, never been hacked because I'm really leery of stuff like this, always have been. Can you talk me through it please?”

And he did, and we resolved the install. I get that it would have been easier for him to just take over, but...

Is it just me? Am I being stupid in a world where NSA knows everything about me and I carry a device around with me that tracks my location 24/7 and can easily be used to eavesdrop on me? My college age son thinks I'm nuts (Dad, anyone can find anything about you any time they want, why bother trying to hide?). He's not wrong, yet still I persist with my instincts from the stone age of the world wide web. Thoughts?

posted by WeirdDave at 05:00 PM

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