Internet privacy - consists of privacy over the media of the Internet: the ability to control what information one reveals about oneself over the Internet, and to control who can access that information.
With so many people using the Internet for so many different reasons today, it's no wonder that privacy on the internet is such a hot topic. Whereas in the real world it is easy to hide ones actions from the general public eye, on the internet this is nearly impossible.
Every click, every page opened, every message sent is tracked, stored, and possibly referred to at a later stage. Everything is recorded, nothing is deleted. Online giants like Google know everything about everyone- who you send mail to, what you blog about, who you follow, who follows you, what you search for, what pages you open, how long you spend looking at them. It wouldn't take someone long to figure out where you live if you are a person who uses the "get directions" function in Google Maps- I know I've used it.
It is for this reason that the privacy of individuals on the Internet is of the utmost importance. The EU have even created a special day called "Safer Internet Day" which, as quoted from their site, serves to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world. Their topic for 2010 is "Think B4 U post!".
I think that's brilliant advice. How many people can you think of that post EVERY LITTLE DETAIL of their life online. Do we all really need to know that you just washed your dog? Or got a haircut? Or ate Cheerios for breakfast? No. Not really.
Top Privacy tips from those-in-the-know:
1. Know who you are sharing your information with.
- Read the Ts&Cs of the Social Networking site you are using.
- When using Social Networking sites, only add people you know and trust.
- When choosing to add that application, know what information they are going to get from you in return.
2. Don't believe everything you read.
- Read between the lines.
- Don't jump at the first AMAZING offer you see (Do you know anyone who has actually won a free Dell laptop? Or got the old Facebook profile layout back? Or seen who is viewing their profile? No? I didn't think so.)
3. Is your information secure? And are you using Security measures?
- Is your Firewall/Virus checker up to date?
- Is your OS up to date.
- Do you scan files before downloading them?
- Do you check to see that you are downloading from reliable and trustworthy source?
- Do you open links/attachments in emails without scanning them for viruses?
4. Think before you post.
- Have you got friends/family's permission to post that photo?
- Will commenting about a sensitive topic offend anyone?
- Will giving out revealing information expose yourself?
I think that more than just one day a year should be dedicated to the topic of Online Privacy. It is something that every Internet user should be made aware of and should practice daily. After all, who knows, maybe Google WILL own the world one day and, imagine the kind of power they will have knowing all that they already do, and all that they will inevitably still find out in the future...
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