WE HAVE OUTLINED KEY SCENARIOS THAT PROFILE HOW OUR SERVICES PROVIDE SOLUTIONS TO VARIOUS SITUATIONS AND HOW WE SAFEGUARD CLIENTS.
Personal Risk
SCENARIO - PERSONAL RISK
Personal Risk
SCENARIO: Phyllis J.
In society, Phyllis J. might appear to be an average American citizen. She has a husband, two daughters, owns a home, and runs several small businesses. Her family is active in their community and often her daughters like to post videos online for their extended family members.
The Problem
Phyllis J. wishes for her daughter’s videos to remain private and exclusive only to extended family members, her husband’s Facebook page to be secret and for their heavy involvement in the community to be discreet.
Reality
Phyllis J. isn’t average at all; she is a government employee who helped to apprehend a notorious international criminal and have him deported in a highly covert operation. The arrest garnered some publicity in the press and Phyllis is profiled in many open source news articles. Also, there is some indication that former colleagues may have betrayed her and are doing their part to expose Phyllis in the digital world.
In the ongoing conflict between this dangerous criminal and the law, the former has many supporters who would do anything to avenge his apprehension by a U.S. government employee. This operation alone is enough to place Phyllis and her family at significant risk. While it may seem almost cinema-like, the need for protection and ongoing anonymity is very real.
Assessing The Threats
When the iClipse team was contacted, we ran a thorough internet risk and mitigation program (iRAMP) and discovered some alarming things. Simply by using just her name in conjunction with the operation in which she was involved, we were able to find out the following:
- Where she lives
- Where she banks
- The identity of her husband
- Her daughter’s names and where they attend high school
- Schematic of her house
- Key information regarding business deals.
We also determined that a damning photo was being hosted by a very popular image hosting service.
If we could find out all this information, so could other determined and resourceful individuals.
Covering Tracks
Once we identified all possible threats, our next objective was to neutralize them using a series of effective tactics. Firstly, we knew that it would be impossible to get rid of all the links and stories about Phyllis J. in the press, but it was paramount that we sever any digital and business connections between her and her former colleagues as well as remove all family-related files on sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, People Finder, Facebook and other social networks.
Too bad it’s not that easy.
The web is transparent and porous; it’s hard to simply take things down. There is a process made up of quiet and discreet steps to lower the chance of increased damage. Simply asking Google to remove links can turn into another problem since requests are often made public and searchable. Furthermore, many mirror websites in other countries will copy exact content from sites such as LinkedIn. Removing material from domestic sites required our team to also search foreign mirror sites and driving broken links, thus caching this information from their system.
On the business front, we utilized requests, subpoenas, and other means to break or bury links, and get rid of a mention in a business journal to defuse the situation.
It is a continuous monitoring operation on our part, but today, Phyllis J. and her family are much safer than they were before we became involved.
Fighting Back
Disinformation can be a powerful tactic in the process of protection. We created several “wild goose chases” with alternative personas, profiles in social media and business channels, which will serve to throw would-be assailants off the track when searching for her.
More importantly, by utilizing the very same technology and communications channels that act to conceal Phyllis J., we can also go on the offensive in determining the identities and source sites that mean to cause her harm and develop a strategy to counteract them.
Modern Warfare
Unfortunately, Phyllis J.’s story isn’t rare. Government officials, operatives, and other individuals and entities that seek to remain low-profile can often become victims of modern digital warfare and subterfuge that constantly puts them and their families at risk.
The robust strategies and tactics employed by iClipse can serve as powerful allies in the battle for discretion, anonymity, and superior intelligence.
TO LEARN MORE CONTACT iCLIPSE TODAY.
We can protect you from those who seek to harm or damage your brand.
