I see Hyatt’s been making headlines for all the “right” reasons lately. Standing firm against the digital marauders, refusing to pay the ransom after their latest data skirmish. It sounds noble, doesn’t it? Like something straight out of a Ridley Scott epic where the brave commander refuses to yield the fortress. But let’s pull back the velvet curtain for a second and look at what’s actually on the line.
The industry is applauding. “Don’t fund the criminals,” they say. “Protect the bottom line.” But whose “precious”—to borrow a bit of Tolkien—is actually at risk here? It certainly isn’t the corporate balance sheet. It’s your data. My data. The intimate details of thousands of lives are currently being partitioned and auctioned to the highest bidder on the dark web while the board sits in a sanitized meeting room discussing “reputational risk.”
This is the fundamental rot at the heart of our digital infrastructure. When a breach happens, the business suffers almost nothing. As I’ve pointed out with the Marriott debacle, a token fine often equates to a 15-cent slap on the wrist per record. Some of these giants have even seen their financial performance improve after a breach. They keep their “honor,” they keep their cash, and the guest is left holding a lifetime of identity theft and endless phishing.
It’s a bizarre form of chivalry, isn’t it? Protecting your integrity at the full expense of the people you were supposed to be hosting. In traditional hospitality, the sanctity of the guest was the prime directive. Now, it seems the prime directive is the PR narrative. Refusing to pay a King’s Ransom sounds heroic on a press release, but when the “King” is safe in his palace and the guests are being sold into digital slavery, the optics get a bit murky. It’s negligence dressed up as principle.
Life is so tech. Long live the King!
Mark Fancourt
