Online Privacy

Online privacy, also commonly referred to as internet privacy, is a subset of data privacy and a fundamental human right. It is simply referred to the personal privacy that we're entitled to when we display store or provide information regarding yourself on the Internet.

We can improve our privacy online by following few key rules: 

• Using secure passwords.
• Checking social privacy settings.
• Keeping phone number and personal e-mail ID private.
• Not using public storage for private information.
• Reviewing permission for mobile apps
• Using ‘turn off’ option whenever possible, like in Google’s activity tracker.
• We can also block ads on your browser and take extra time to actually read privacy policies.
• While installing a new application, we can check what types of permissions it asks, and if we are not ok with it, we can decide not to use it.
• Using more sophisticated methods for protecting our online identity and communications, like end-to-end encryption.
• Being careful what you share on social media.
• Not falling for scams.
• Only using the software we trust.
• Keeping our computer virus-free.

Internet Privacy Issues:

1. Tracking

2. Hacking

3. Trading

   Google, the biggest and most used search engine collects a lot of information about its users. From basic information like name, birthday, age, gender, mobile number and e-mail ID to discover or find out the history of our searches, clicks, locations, and devices we use to log in. The main reason for such items or report is to create the personalized user experience, but at the same time, it is quite handy for the company to increase revenue by displaying ads in accordance to person’s interests. They get to know a complete insight in potential customer’s brain – their likes, dislikes, desires etc. There’s no doubt that this is the dream tool of every industry in the world. Of course, no one is forced to make a purchase, but knowing that this is the way things work, it makes some of us feel used but it is a matter of trust.

“Google knows quite a lot about all of us. No one ever lies to a search engine. I used to say that Google knows more about me than my wife does, but that doesn’t go far enough. Google knows me even better because Google has perfect memory in a way that people don’t.”

— Bruce Schneier, a cybersecurity expert

Identity theft: 

There are millions of people who are the victims of identity theft which led to financial loss and even legal problems. Almost every website that asks for registration wants our name, mobile number, gender, birthdate, and email which is more than enough for experienced hackers to violate our privacy and create damage. Even secured banking applications suffered this issue. Therefore, we should be careful when and where we are keeping our data and if it is safe or not. 

Major issues:

Smartphones: The smartphones era has brought even bigger privacy issues. All smartphones are based on apps and almost every app out there wants access to your entire phone, contacts, texts, emails, notifications, storage etc. Many people don’t think about it or consider such information sharing dangerous but as technology continues to advance and becomes certain in everyday life. We are becoming less independent and more vulnerable to be either victimized in some way or simply used as a plain consumer to buy stuff.

Facebook: Facebook has recently announced they are now able to trace even non-users. With the help of simple “Like” buttons, which are now on every website. They will also display ads to people that are not part of this global social network. 

The Internet has an impact on society on making economic, social, and political changes around the globe. This is obvious because of a billion user, communities, cultures using the internet in their daily life. Although our actions, thoughts and communication skills on the internet are impacting society positively or negatively.

Today the Internet is one of the most powerful tools in the world. The Internet is a collection of various services, resources, and information. The Internet has played an important part in our daily life, and in fact, it brings us lots of advantages.

So, it is on us how we are using the internet in our daily life. It has a lot of advantages as well as it can also have disadvantages. We should use it properly with security, as it has accessibility our every moves we take. We should be aware of offering our personal data on any website, app or other resources. Nowadays, we can't really trust any resource. Not all are fake or use our personal documents or data. But we should be alert on using the internet. 

“Privacy isn’t about something to hide. Privacy is about something to protect. And that’s who you are. That’s what you believe in. That’s who you want to become. Privacy is the right to the self. Privacy is what gives you the ability to share with the world who you are on your own terms.”            
               
— Edward Snowden