Everyone needs to realize that the incredible power and convenience that comes with a smartphone also comes with a price with respect to privacy.

A bombshell New York Times report says that there's basically nothing you can do to prevent apps from tracking your every move https://t.co/FfCrfVTfRA

— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) December 11, 2018

If you are looking to stay safe this summer than there is no better place to vacation than at home. Often referred to as a ‘staycation’, staying at home to vacation is probably the safest act you can take if you are concerned about your privacy and security, just as long as you are not buying items on line that is. Just because you are afraid to travel because you might compromise your safety or privacy does not mean that you cannot do or have something special at your own home. According to an article by Forbes, there are plenty of fun and exciting things to do at home and in your hometown that are safe. From visiting your local museums to going for a bike ride at the local park to visiting one of the many festivals in and around town vacationing at home can be fun. According to another article, some of the ways that you can have the best staycation ever include: having someone else clean your house, refreshing your bedroom, sharing chores, buying new coffee cups for souvenirs, indulging yourself, going out to dinner, splurging at the grocery store, trying a new wine, deleting your work email from your phone, and taking lots of pictures.

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We all understand the importance of border security these days and the importance of keeping dangerous people out of the country.

Yet this has also led to policies that can be very disturbing for the ordinary citizen. For example, authorities have the right to search your laptop when you’re entering the country. I’ve never experienced this but you can see how this will be used for travelers with high-risk profiles.

Which brings us to the story of a Canadian man who was charged at the Canadian border for not sharing the password from his phone upon returning from the Dominican Republic. Who knows why he refused – maybe he was partying with some hotties and had compromising photos. Maybe he really had something to hide. Or maybe like the rest of us he was appalled at the notion of border agents asking to browse through his phone.

Regardless, he’s in trouble now and the rest of us can only hope never to be in that situation.

One of the beauties of securities trading is that you can do it practically anywhere, these days. With mobile devices, mobile internet and the right apps, you can be wherever you need to be without worrying that you will miss out on a crucial bit of news or a great trade opportunity. Of course, most independent securities traders do their trading from home most of the time, and while smartphones and tablets do make trading on the go possible, there is a lot to be said for having a great set up in your home office that puts everything you need at your fingertips. Here we take a look at the must haves for your home trading desk:

Peace, Quiet and Comfort

Keeping up to speed on the markets and planning your trades can take a lot of concentration, so having an environment to trade in that is comfortable and free from distractions is essential. While this is true of any home office, for trading it can be even more essential as you often have to be able to think and work fast to make the trades you want happen. Having a room set up as a private study where nobody is allowed to bother you unless it is business related can be a good idea, because trying to trade on the dining room table from your laptop while the kids run riot is usually not ideal!

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The amount of surveillance we all face now in society is getting to be pretty alarming. Body cameras will only make things worse from a privacy point of view.

Still, this case of a hate crime quickly solved due to a surveillance camera coupled with one citizen using social media shows the power of technology in the face of senseless crimes.

The debate will rage as cameras become a bigger part of our lives at an exponential rate. Here we have the positives. There will be plenty of negatives as well.