Feb, 2017 : Understanding Online Privacy (Or the Lack of It)


📅 - The digital age is certainly changing the way we view personal privacy. It's now become a modern issue and it's necessary to understand online privacy.

This basic guide will help to walk you through the problem of privacy when it comes to the online world. With so much information becoming a free-for-all online, it's necessary to know how you can protect yourself and maintain your own online privacy.

Privacy isn't a new thing, but digital privacy has changed the way privacy looks today. Here's a look at some of the basic things you should understand about online privacy.

A Few Privacy Stats

Before we get into the meat of this post, let's take a quick look at some of the stats about online privacy.

46% of the world's population can access the internet, as of 2016
66% of adults using the internet admit it's easy to find a picture of them online
21% of adults say you can find a video of them online
46% say their email address can be found online
30% say their home address is available online
50% say their birth date can be found online
78% of internet users are worried about their privacy since they know so much information about them is found online

This information is gold to cyber criminals and makes you vulnerable. It didn't used to be so easy to find out so much about a person, but with the online world, it's easier than ever.

Do We have a Right to be Forgotten?

Many worry about the fact that the internet has such as reach. You could have posted a picture of yourself at a party on social media back in 2010 and an employer finds it during a job interview today. It can get even worse than that, too.

Some have had things, such as paid off tax debts become public knowledge online and get found 15 years later. It's actually possible to sue for the right to be forgotten, but it does have to be balanced with the right to free speech.

This right may be hotly debated in the United States but support is growing. More people want the right to have things removed that are old, untrue or make them look bad.

Social Media and Privacy

Huge concerns come up for some when it comes to Social Media and privacy. This is especially true of younger children. While people love to gossip, it's not healthy and can become a huge issue. Fights have happened on social media platforms and been documented for all to see later on.

Privacy concerns have been a huge part of the debate with sites, such as Facebook and Google. Some have complicated settings for privacy, while others don't provide the best options for privacy. Facebook won't even let you fully delete your account, while some have said the “like” button is used more for tracking than anything else.

Understanding Online Privacy

Online privacy is very complex in nature and takes more than just a short guide to fully grasp it. However, with a bit of common sense and the ability to question before acting, you may not have to worry about privacy concerns any longer.

There are ways to protect yourself and make sure your information isn't just loose for anybody to find. Some opt to use a fake name or a pen name when they write simply to keep things from being put under their real name. You may not need to go this far to protect yourself, however.

If you want to make sure you have the best privacy for your online activities, take the time to learn about the browser you use, the sites you use and every way you interact online.

Reads: 821 | Category: General | Source: TheHN : The Hosting News

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