Identity Theft Made Easy

So, I call $company. The automated system guides me through the hoops, in particular, asking for my "secure credentials", normally "the last four". Then it connects me to a representative.

And the first thing the representative says is: "What are your last four"?

WHAT?

I just identified myself to your automated system.
It authenticated me.
Why do *you* need to hear it again?

If this is a part of the $company's protocol, it's redundant.
If this is an unscrupulous employee harvesting personally identifiable information, it's a vulnerability.

The problem is, you cannot distinguish between the two. So either way, we're screwed.

Full-Time Employees: Who wins? Who loses?

Just read The Case Against Full-Time Employees.

There's no TL;DR, read it if you care to compare it with my counterpoint, which is pretty simple:

• A long term full time employee is a known variable.
• Freelancers and contractors are the unknown.
• The more is known, the less uncertainty.
• The more uncertainty, the more risk.
• The more risk, the more threat.
• The more threat, the more contingency.
• Somebody has to pay for the contingency.
• Business can't pay the contingency, it has to be profitable.
• That leaves only one party that can be held responsible for paying.

That party is *you*, the customer.

Note that pay is not necessarily monetary.