Safe/Easy to Share Information..... Or Is It?
Privacy? It’s a BIG question mark in today’s world, there is
little to no privacy in our virtual world, as sharing has become so easy, with
one click of a button we can share our personal content with our family and
friends online through various mediums. However, are those mediums safe? With
government being so nosy in our personal business concerning our security, we
should all ask ourselves to what extent are we safe on the content we post
online. We are being watched by the government and other online hackers
threatening our privacy, there are plenty of things at risk we should know
them, just to name a few, cyber security, phishing, worms, Trojan horses,
hackers, and viruses.
Today our every click is being watched, now we know and
recognize what’s at stake so we should start protecting our privacy and become
familiar with some of the terminology associated with Internet security. There
are many Hackers and intruders out there who will do anything for their
personal gain, they are simply motivated by curiosity, and they’re looking for
a weak spot to breach our privacy. So before we compromise our information we
should start protecting it by being aware and limiting our personal info
online.
Here are some of the
examples of how we can prevent and safeguard our privacy.
·
Making sure the site is safe before we share
information.
·
Make sure any online accounts are properly
configured for optimal privacy.
·
Protect your wireless connection from dangers
·
Remove personal information from most people
search databases.
·
Increase privacy of your browser
·
Use a privacy oriented email service
Privacy on the Internet depends on our ability to control
both, personal information provided online and information accessibility to
others. There are few things we need to put in practice, they are as simple as “think
before you share personal info” read the privacy policies on the website which you
visit. See what sort of information they gather, whether they share the info
with any other or third parties. “Do not share more than you need” avoid posting
anything online that shouldn’t be public, minimize location details. Do not
share usernames and passwords or secret question/answers. Share minimum info
such as primary email address and or instant messaging ID. “Choose how private
you want your profile or blog should be” modify your browser settings to manage
and give permission to people you know. Monitor what others post, we should always protect our information from fraud and lastly guard
your information. It’s all about how creative we can get and how aware we are
of our surroundings. When it comes to privacy on the Internet its all about
how/what you share. Less is better.
Sources:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-protect-your-online-privacy.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/prevent.aspx
Since I was in middle school, around the time when myspace and instant messaging really blew up, I've been told never to put too much personal information online. Before it was for mostly safety reasons, but now its also so that I represent myself appropriately online in regards to future employment. People online don't need to know everything about me, and I like having control over how I am perceived online.
ReplyDeleteJust remember, if you use a service for free, you are not the customer, you are the product. So be careful what you put online. It's not all bad, since you are able to benefit by only seeing ads for products you might want to buy.
ReplyDeleteHowever, remember that anything you put online is never really deleted. So I keep a simple rule of thumb: Don't put anything online that you would not want to show up if you decided to run for President.
There are some anti-tracking software out there that can help keep sites from tracking information that you would like to keep private. It is also a good idea to clear your search history frequently. The less you put online and the more that you delete, the more privacy that you can preserve.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started using the Internet on a regular basis I was unaware of how much of the information I put into it basically is always there. Most users of the Internet do find convenience in their credit card/billing information for sites such as Amazon, Ebay, etc. being kept securely on their accounts because this increases the amount of time it takes for them to buy things on the Internet. There are instances where things such as the storing of credit card information can go terribly wrong. Two years ago the bank flagged the use of my debit card being used in Texas. The bank called me as soon as this was flagged to make sure this transaction in Texas wasn't me. Unfortunately, someone had gotten a hold of my banking information and only after the second transaction in Texas, the bank caught it and denied the transaction and they also covered the charges made during the first transaction and refunded my money.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds crazy, but even watching shows like Scandal just shows you how easy it is for someone to pry into your personal business. It makes it hard though, because most times for one reason or another you have to share very personal information online, even when its just through email.
ReplyDelete