My brother actually laughed at dinner and said, ‘I sold that useless laptop of yours for five hundred bucks. Finally got rid of your junk.’ My cousins cheered him on. Then he added, almost proudly, ‘Already handed it off to the buyer.’ I got up, stepped outside, and called my supervisor. By the time I made the report, the FBI cyber team was already tracking the device…

confidence people use when they don’t know what words mean but want to close a deal anyway.

He also sent an extra photo.

Unprompted.

In that photo, my dining table was visible from farther back. My coffee mug. My mail. The edge of my second monitor. A slice of my apartment. My life, framed and packaged by a man who thought my privacy was another commodity.continue reading …