I think that having internet privacy means that I have complete control over the information that others have about me, via the internet. In an ideally private world, only those who I have granted permission to would have personal details about me. With computers’ abilities to remember information about people, and the ease at which some computers can be hacked into, it is easier than ever to receive unauthorized information about someone.
Http cookies, for example are bits of information that are stored on people’s computers to monitor their browsing habits. While cookies were not originally intended to be used for criminal purposes, they have become useful to those who are trying to find indentifying information about computer users. Users are typically not aware of these cookies tracking their activities on the computer, and then sending personal information back to the cookie’s creator. One way that people can better control things like cookies and phishing is by clearing their internet activity history. This is still not a foolproof method, but luckily many firewalls block cookies from being stored on computers as to prevent the consequences of compromised privacy.
There are many consequences of compromised privacy, some of which can be serious problems. The ultimate fear of most people I imagine is identity theft. If a personal computer with a large amount of data about someone is somehow hacked into, it is most frequently done using the internet. That information can then be dispersed to many others for statistical use, which while it may bother some, is less of a problem than identity theft. If a person receives identifying data about another person through saved information on a computer, their identity could be stolen, which would lead to a long road of complications.
Although identity theft does frighten me, I am more concerned about the information that the government can obtain about citizens. While most people have nothing to hide, being tracked is an uneasy feeling, nevertheless. I know that anything I do on my computer can be monitored by the government, and I don’t believe that should be allowed, unless a person convicted of a serious crime is under investigation.
There are even ways that privacy is breeched that are not nearly as secretive or scandalous as issues such as identity theft via online computer hacking or phishing. As an MSNBC article argues, there are plenty of times that a person’s private information is obtained simply because of their internet activity. Online banking and purchasing are two essentially easy ways of obtaining information about anther. It may not be the neighborhood computer hacker looking through your latest bank statement; it could be someone as “innocent” as your boyfriend browsing your records stored on the computer. This is scary because it goes to show that you never know who has access to your private information when there is so much readily available electronically.
An incident that a friend of mine experienced recently deals with the issue of surveillance. As Wikipedia defines surveillance, this occurs when someone’s behavior is observed from a distance, usually by means of electronic equipment. A friend was in his apartment moving furniture around when he observed a hidden camera behind a chair. Being unaware of how the camera was placed there, or who placed it there, he called the police. The police investigated the situation and discovered many similar instances in the nearby area, but they were still unable to identify the surveyor. This was an uneasy situation for my friend—he felt as if he had been monitored doing private things in his own home, but he didn’t know who and how many people were watching. The camera images were likely streamed over the internet to an observer’s computer. Privacy is important to people, but with the invention of technology, it is being compromised more and more.
Sources:
Internet privacy. (2008, September 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:36, September 26, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Internet_privacy&oldid=241019362
Sullivan, B. (October 10, 2006). Privacy Lost: Does Anyone Care? MSNBC.com. Retrieved from www.msnbc.com
Surveillance. (2008, September 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:36, September 26, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Surveillance&oldid=240844724
2 comments:
Your post made me want to check all my furniture!
On another note, I saw an interesting presentation once on hackers. The presenter showed two screens, the users view and the hackers view. It is amazing how transparent a hacker can be!
I agree with COMmom, I was thinking about how easily it is for hackers to access all your personal information after getting into your files. I am have put my credit card online on one site which is ebay, sadly to say i just don't trust putting my information on the web.
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