Privacy is visiting your physician behind closed doors. Privacy is closing your curtains when getting ready for bed. Whereas this type of privacy comes naturally in real life, in the digital space the issue of privacy is skewed. And this is mainly because most people don’t understand what online privacy entails.
What’s Digital Privacy?
It isn’t all about what you’re doing. Online privacy goes beyond that. It’s also about who you are. On the internet, personal data has a high value. It can be stolen, sold, analyzed, or collected.
There are numerous facets of privacy. And these include who you are and what you normally do. Typically, who you are is regarded as your personally identifiable information (PII). And this entails your name, address, phone numbers, date of birth, as well as your Social Security number. What you do includes the searches you perform, the articles you read, the things you purchase online, and the websites you perform.
Whenever you visit a website, use a social media platform, or download an app, chances are that the site is collecting data about you. People are doing a lot of things online through their computers as well as mobile devices. By making purchases, looking up medical records, interacting with friends, arranging vacations, or doing anything imaginable, you’re actually creating a huge database about yourself. And various companies are busy tracking your web activity and collecting that data so as to get a bigger picture of you.
Why You’re Being Tracked
A complete data set on your personal life can fetch some good cash. There are now several companies referred to as ‘data brokers’ that collect and store data on millions of internet users, which they analyze, package, and then sell without their knowledge or permission.
The data brokers gather and sell people’s information to other companies for various reasons, including targeted advertising, direct marketing, as well as credit risk assessment. Fortunately, this data is often made anonymous and doesn’t contain PII.
The Need for Privacy
There are certain things you want to hide, right? It could be the amount of money you make, your bank account number, or your medical records. Hiding such information isn’t bad. You really don’t want these confidential details to be broadcasted on your social network for the whole world to see. That’s why you should always strive to protect your right to privacy.
Privacy is all yours. It’s your information, your actions, your habits, and your patterns. So, you should dedicate your time and effort to protecting it in any way possible. Choose strong passwords and install a reliable VPN.
Conclusion
Online privacy is extremely important. It helps you stay anonymous and undetectable. Plus, it goes a long way in safeguarding you against identity theft. Remember, hackers now have advanced tools, which they use to crack people’s passwords. And once they gain access to your account, the steal your personal data and then sell it to other organizations. So, take the right steps and protect your privacy. Also, learn more about privacy at Privacy Spark today and stay safe.