Hoo boy. As any good or even competent IT person will tell you, adult websites are the perfect way to ruin your life. This is not just because you are breaking the law or risking putting yourself into a compromising position or even because of the mortality of the matter — not that morality is not important. Another good reason to steer clear of sketchy sites is that they are rife with viruses and bots designed to steal one's identity or bank information.
In the 21st century, that is common knowledge for most adults, and it should be a no-brainer for congressional staffers with official emails. It should, in particular, be a no-brainer for people who work for congresspeople and senators.
Alas and alack, it is also common knowledge that we do not often send our best and brightest to the nation's capital, and we are not just talking about elected officials like we usually are on these pages.
The Washington Times noted that the internet security firm Proton reported on Tuesday that the personal information of approximately 3,191 congressional staff members was found on the dark web. Compromised data included passwords, social media information, and IP addresses. One poor schlep had 31 passwords exposed.
How did such a terrible thing come to pass, you ask? Did you read the headline? These people were signing up for porn and dating sites using their official email addresses. The Times wrote:
“Many of these leaks likely occurred because staffers used their official email addresses to sign up for various services, including high-risk sites such as dating and adult websites, which were later compromised in data breaches,” Proton said in a statement.
There's more:
“This situation highlights a critical security lapse, where sensitive work-related emails became entangled with less secure, third-party platforms…“The volume of exposed accounts among U.S. political staffers is alarming, and the potential consequences of compromised accounts could be severe,” said Eamonn Maguire, Proton head of account security, in a statement. “Vigilance and strict security measures are essential to safeguard personal and national security.”
Gee, you think?
Who knows? Maybe some kid thought using his congressional email address would make him a chick magnet. None of them were probably thinking at all.
Some of this could probably be alleviated if our legislators hired people who were not just out of puberty or the frat house by a couple of months. Or they could just sit their staffers down on the first or second day of employment and explain to them the massive and solemn obligation they have undertaken by serving in the people's house.
They need to understand what a privilege it is for them to serve their nation in such a capacity, which takes precedence over their base desires. They need to be inculcated with a sense of duty and awe commensurate with the obligation they have undertaken. They need...
Wait, did you hear that? Listen:
Eric Swalwell, please pick up a red courtesy phone. Eric Swalwell, please pick up a red courtesy phone. There is a Ms. Fang Fang on line two. Eric Swalwell, please pick up a red courtesy phone. There is a Ms. Fang Fang on line two.
Never mind.
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