Who Do You Trust?

Privacy and security threats from IoT devices can put our children in danger.

Trust is something I learned a long time ago and thought would always be there in my life. I was so wrong, it is hard to believe that things have changed so quickly in our lives but trust is something that more and more of us are finding hard to do.

The Danger of a Baby Monitor

Recently in Panguitch, a young mother who is very tech savvy made a decision that she wanted to keep her children safe and, therefore, she purchased a more expensive baby monitor so she could see her sleeping baby on her phone. She wanted to be sure that her child was sleeping peacefully and safely.

Checking on her children at night, she had heard unfamiliar voices on occasion but thought it was just her imagination or her husband mumbling in his sleep. She dismissed it not knowing if she was quite awake.

One morning she was working in her office and her baby was on her lap. Her older child was playing in the bedroom. Her little girl came in and said “the man is back.”

When she went into her child’s bedroom, her little girl told her to be quiet or the man in the carpet would hear her. Looking at a vent in the floor, the mother thought maybe that was where the sound was coming from and someone was in the basement. She called her husband and told him that she was going to check the basement. On checking out the basement she found all of the windows and doors locked and the house secure. 

Returning to the child’s bedroom, she heard a man’s voice which did indeed sound like it was coming through the carpet. She heard the voice say her baby’s name which definitely alarmed her. She quickly realized it was coming from her baby monitor and was terrified for her children. This mother immediately unplugged the monitor after giving the man a piece of her mind.

In asking her little girl what the man had said to her she found out that the man had asked her daughter to come over to where the monitor was. The mom realized that if her daughter had gone where she was instructed she could be seen by the camera. It was terrifying to her that the man knew her children’s names and possibly other information that could have put her children in danger. She was wise in notifying other parents of this danger and warning them about the use of this particular baby monitor. She has kept her children safe and watches them carefully.

The Rise in the ‘Internet of Things’

None of us could believe that something like this would happen in a small town like Panguitch, where personal safety has always been something we’ve taken for granted. But it only goes to show that in the new, interconnected world, we all need to be vigilant no matter where we live. Safety in 2022 has taken on a whole new meaning and we all have to be aware of dangers in a world where no one can completely trust any more. 

The “Internet of Things” (IoT) technology now allows many “smart home” devices and appliances to be connected locally to the control of your smart phone. These IoT devices (such as security cameras and baby monitors) are almost always equipped with reasonable security features to protect them from hacks, but no security is absolutely fail-proof. Risks remain.

It is alarming someone could reach into your home through technology. Many of us have devices in our homes like Alexa, Amazon Echo, Wize Cam or even our personal computers which connect us to the outside world. Devices like Halo View and Amazon Glow for kids make things convenient for us but come with associated dangers if used by those who have ulterior motives.

Technology Complicates the Threat of Child Abduction

Today’s technology adds yet another risk in the timeless threat of child abduction. We need to arm ourselves and our children with direction on what to do to protect ourselves from new privacy threats from tech, as well as potential threats from strangers in the physical world.

Years ago my daughter walked home from school in the rain because a classmate she was with would not take a ride from a friend of mine. My daughter knew my friend but her classmate did not and her parents had taught her never to get in a vehicle with someone she did not know. The girls were a little damp, but they dried off quickly and were safe. Accolades to the parents who taught their daughter to stay safe in all situations.

Many children are abducted every year. Some are never heard of again, while others are found and spend years recovering.

St. George Efforts to Combat This

Recently in St. George, the police set up a sting operation. Eight men were arrested on suspicion they were meeting with someone who would provide an underage prostitute.

Tim Ballard, a former CIA agent and leader with Operation Underground Railroad, said in his speech at a St. George rally, “We’ve got to keep our kids safe by understanding the threat and how predators get to our kids. Parents are the first line of defense.”

Ballard also praised St. George as being a clear base for OUR and added that they heavily recruit operators out of St. George and the St. George Police Department, saying that the police department in St. George is doing a great job of keeping the community safe. 

Each of us needs to be diligent and aware of what is going on around us. Like this mother who kept her children safe, we need to be alert and check out any suspicious activity that we notice. 

Learn warning signs such as children who seem to be afraid of those they are traveling with or give the new international signal of a hand behind their back that is opening and closing quickly for no reason. It never hurts to check out a situation that you feel uncomfortable about or report an incident that makes you suspicious. If just one child is saved by your actions, you will never regret it. 

– by Elaine Baldwin

Feature image caption: You never know who might be tapping in to your internet devices, even spying on your kids through a baby monitor! Each of us needs to be diligent and aware of what is going on around us in order to protect our kids. Courtesy rawpixel.

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