Digital Privacy

Digital Privacy

Image Source: digitaltrends.com

Privacy is an important topic to look at as the internet and social media continue to become ever prominent pieces in our daily lives. Not only for us as adults, but for our students as well.

I think that growing up with the evolution of the internet and all these social media platforms, has allowed me to make my own choices about what I should and should not put out there for others to see. When I think about it from my student's perspective, they are not educated enough to make these decisions because they are being pressured by peers and the media to engage on these platforms. I did not feel this pressure when I was growing up because not much of this was around. 

Even as an adult, I try to keep a low profile on the internet. I never want to put too much of myself out there for others and my employer to see. However, I know more of me is seen not just by what I put out there for people, but by what I am searching and engaging with out on the internet as well. 

Data Tracking

My colleagues and I joke about how we each have our own FBI agent listening to us through our phones. This is because we will talk about something and then the next time we are on Facebook or Instagram, we get an ad for that item. It just happened last week when we were talking about the Lululemon fanny packs and then boom it showed up on my feed the next time I was on Instagram.

The infographic gave me a great visual of tracking, how others get your information, and then finally how ads are targeted to you. What really surprised me was that even though you might only engage with a few sites during your browsing period, hundreds of advertising companies may then have access to your data. One suggestion that they gave to help keep you safe is to keep your internet browser up to date. 

One of the craziest things I saw when I was reading came from the Time article. It stated that, "retailers are notified, via Bluetooth and GPS, when you enter their store what your income is and how much time you'll probably spend shopping." This never even crossed my mind when I was shopping. Now, it will be all that I am thinking about the next time I head to HomeGoods or Target! Not only am I being tracked by what I view on the internet, but also by the location of my phone and previous purchases I have made on it.

It is so scary to think that all this information about you and your personal habits can be taken straight from our phones and engagement on the internet. I do not think my students have an understanding of this. They need to be better educated about their digital presences and how it can affect them now and potentially in the future. Including these topics in our lessons at school could be very beneficial for them.

How to Stay Safe

With the internet and social media being something we use daily, it is important to know what steps we can take to help us stay safe. The online article from GeeksforGeeks provided me with the following tips that I can implement to help me maintain my privacy.

• Always Browse in Anonymous Mode
• Don't Use Public Storage for Private Information
• Stay Private on Wi-Fi Networks
• Use Secure Passwords
• Control Your Cookies Settings
• Change Your Social Media Privacy Settings

Just implementing some of these tips can help all of us to remain more private than public on the internet.