The concept of digital privacy can best be described as the protection of the information of private citizens who use digital media. However, when people talk about digital privacy, they often mean it in terms of how it relates to Internet use. Despite being a popular and often incendiary topic, the hurdle of defining what digital privacy really is can prevent it from being resolved.
Security experts work hard to help computer users protect their personal information.
Digital privacy focuses on the fact that the use of digital means to conduct business, whether personal or professional, can leave digital footprints. For example, many Internet users do not realize that information about them and their Internet usage habits is constantly being recorded and stored. The Internet Protocol (IP) address of a computer can be traced back to a specific user, and as such, their website viewing habits can be monitored. Information such as the date and time of your searches, what browser you used to access the websites, and even how long you visited the websites may be kept on a search engine’s servers. Servers may vary in the amount of time they store this information before deleting it.
People around the world are increasingly concerned about digital privacy issues related to email and the Internet.
Digital privacy can also extend to the use of domain names. Many domain owners take extra steps to protect their information by employing domain privacy services, but the success of such a move is questionable. For example, some companies that specialize in domain privacy only need to receive a phone call requesting information from the domain owner before providing it. Additionally, if a website owner opts out of the use of domain privacy services, their name, address, email address, phone number, and other associated details are entered into a public WHOIS database and anyone looking for it can access.
Certain websites that specialize in aggregating information from multiple sources to provide users with profiles of private citizens are also causing concern among digital privacy advocates. These sites can return people’s full names, dates of birth, addresses, nicknames, photos and maps of houses, and much more. Also, these sites can detail the history of an individual. It is not uncommon to find information detailing the last 10 years of a person’s life.
While digital privacy is a topic that remains at the forefront of many citizens’ thoughts as they try to navigate the Internet and embrace new technologies, official and comprehensive protection remains out of reach. That’s because the idea of privacy in a technological landscape, and therefore in constant evolution, keeps changing its meaning. Before the issue can be addressed, there must be a clear definition of what privacy means in the digital world.
The digital privacy debate continues and will continue as technology advances. Internet users will always respect your right to privacy and also your right to publicly accessible information. Questions about the legislation continue to be raised as lawmakers try to strike a balance between protecting the privacy of their citizens and keeping them informed.
Being careful about what is shared on social networking sites is an important aspect of digital privacy.
