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Online privacy is extremely important and though most users realize its significance they prefer to skip reading the entire privacy policy on websites. They just agree to it and move on to browse the site, and this is because most users consider the policy to be irrelevant. Website owners also do not present the policy in a simple format, which is another reason why users avoid it.
Internet privacy represents the right given by users to third parties (website owners) for using or storing their private information in the manner in which it is stated in the privacy policy. Information means any data that can be used to identify the user.
People give their private information to websites in a variety of ways – by registering at the websites, by using their credit card, by accessing the website using a unified login system, by posting personal information on social media networks, and more. This data can be misused or hacked and therefore website users must know what the concept of web privacy is all about.
How Is Private Information Gathered
Information is collected by a variety of techniques, and these are:
Cookies: HTTP cookies planted on the user’s computer, help website owners track the user’s browsing habits. Cookies are commonly used and are considered legit, but there have been a couple of instances in which information was misused. Ads are delivered to the user based on his browsing habits. Web users who don’t want the website to track them should delete cookies often. Disabling cookies altogether can ruin the browsing experience.
Flash Cookies: These work like HTTP cookies but are embedded in a user’s computer through Adobe Flash. Blocking such cookies is easy these days because modern browsers can easily detect them.
Evercookies: These are cookies that work like HTTP cookies but defy deletion by replicating themselves. They may replicate themselves even after deletion. To eliminate or detect them, you must use our browser’s latest version. These cookies are also used by investigative agencies to catch criminals.
Device Fingerprinting: This new technique involves reading the data in the user’s computer to figure if he’s risky. This can help owners of ecommerce, dating and banking sites understand the user’s risk profile and determine whether it should do business with him. Most sites use this technology and you should go along with them because blocking it is impractical as it makes the computer very slow. It has a variant – A.D.A.P.T (Sentinel Advanced detection and Predator Tracking) that also detects false identities.
Photo Tags: Information about the user’s identity can also be collected from Facebook, allowing individuals to use face recognition technology to access the person’s data. You should know that some phone and tablet cameras attach the latitude and longitude of the place where the picture was clicked, and this could give away your location.
Google Street View: This technology provides information about a person’s location, activities and property.
Search Engines and Social Media Sites: You will be surprised to learn that search engines link keywords with IP address or computer ID. The search engine understands the user’s searching habits and learns things about him. Social media sites collect user data and use it for marketing.
SPs: ISPs too can scrutinize user’s activities but they are prohibited from using the information because of legal and ethical reasons.
Data Repositories: These facilities collect data from major companies like Google, Twitter, Facebook and others. So long the data remains on their system, your privacy may be at risk.
Conclusion
Responsible websites do not misuse personal data. However, malicious websites can plant spyware, malware, bugs, keyloggers, and other evil tools. To protect yourself, you should use strong passwords, update your browser regularly, close accounts that are not required, and protect your data to safeguard your online privacy.
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