What is digital privacy, and how can we protect it?

Your privacy across the digital landscape has never been more important than it is today. Everything we do on the internet adds to our digital footprint. Even as social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, safeguarding your online privacy is crucial to staying safe. In this article, we will delve into the concept of digital privacy and explore its significance in today’s world.

What is digital privacy?

Simply put, digital privacy refers to an individual’s ability to control and protect their personal information on the internet. This means having control over how your digital information is collected, stored, processed, and shared across the online space.

Every time you do a thing online, like shop, search, browse websites, post pictures, or leave comments, you leave a traceable digital footprint. This footprint creates a detailed profile of your choices, your habits, and other personal details. Digital privacy is all about keeping your profile private from just anyone to know, including your name, home address, contact info, or any other detail that can be used to point you out. If this information gets into the wrong hands, it could lead to fraud or identity theft.

However, personally identifiable information is not all there is to digital privacy. It also has to do with your online activities, such as financial transactions and browsing history. This data can reveal your shopping habits, interests, and social interactions. If unauthorized people access this info, it can result in privacy threats, unwanted ads, or even financial losses.

Online privacy also includes protecting personal content like photos and videos. If not managed properly, these can expose personal details, sometimes even your location data, which can become a real threat to your physical safety.

There is a slight difference between privacy and security, and understanding the difference is important, too. Privacy is about keeping your personal information safe and deciding who can see it. Security, on the other hand, is about protecting that information from unauthorized access and breaches. Both are crucial to staying safe in the online world.

Importance of digital privacy

With everything so hyperconnected, understanding digital privacy and the need to stay private online is necessary for individuals as well as organizations. In the world today, when everything we do can be tracked, privacy often feels more like an ideal than a reality.

For individuals, knowing what digital privacy is is key to keeping personal information safe from being accessed or misused. As we spend more time online, the risk of personal information being exposed grows. Personal details like names, addresses, online banking account info, and photos need to be protected to prevent identity theft, financial fraud, and other grievous issues. About 61% of Americans doubt their efforts to protect their privacy online will really help, and 37% feel overwhelmed by how complicated it is.

Organizations also need to be concerned about online privacy. Even as the line between personal and work data becomes blurred, especially with remote work being so popular. Businesses must protect the privacy of both their customers and employees so they can protect themselves, too. About 40% of Americans are very concerned about companies selling their data without consent. Trust is key in customer relationships, and if a company fails to safeguard their information, it risks its reputation and customer loyalty. Plus, businesses must comply with data protection regulations to avoid fines and legal trouble.

Common threats to digital privacy

Many threats can put our privacy at risk. Understanding these threats helps us better protect ourselves and keep our sensitive data safe. So, what are some ways we lose our privacy in the digital world?

Hacking and cyberattacks

Hacking and cyberattacks are two major and common threats to digital privacy. They involve unpermitted access to systems and data, typically with malicious intent. Some common kinds of cyberattacks include:

• Malware. This malicious program is designed to damage or gain illegal access to systems. Malware can include viruses, ransomware, and spyware – with the capacity to steal personal data or put you out of your computer.
• Data breaches. When unauthorized access gets to large archives of data, they can expose both personal and financial information. High-profile data breaches result in massive amounts of sensitive data being leaked or stolen most often.

Phishing scams

Phishing is a deceptive strategy used to steal personal data by pretending to be a trusted source. This attack can threaten digital privacy in several ways:

• Phishing emails. These are malicious emails that look like they came from a legitimate source, which can be your bank or a trusted brand. They ask for your personal information or click on malicious links, which can lead to identity theft or unauthorized access to your accounts.
• Smishing. A form of phishing, but this uses SMS messages to trick you into exposing personal information or downloading malicious apps.

Both methods can compromise a person’s digital privacy if attackers gain access to secret data, which can be used for fraud or identity theft.

Data collection by companies

Various organizations often collect and use personal data for different purposes, which can raise concerns about digital privacy. And how does this happen?

• Tracking and analytics. Many online users are unaware of the extent to which their activities are tracked and analyzed by online vendors. Many businesses use cookies and other tracking technologies to track the behavior of online users. They mostly use this customer information to personalize marketing content, target advertising, and analyze user engagement. This practice is commonly scrutinized because people often consider targeted advertising to be an invasion of privacy.
• Data sharing. It’s a common practice for organizations to share or sell the data they collect to other third parties, like advertisers and data brokers. This means your data could be exposed to these entities, and sometimes without your explicit consent.

These practices can lead to a loss of privacy because individuals often have limited control over how their data is used and shared. As online services become a more important part of our daily lives, understanding and managing these risks is crucial for protecting personal privacy

How to protect digital privacy

Protecting digital privacy is both your responsibility and the organization’s and the government’s responsibility. Let’s take a look at the ways you can protect digital privacy and how governments are responsible for making it safe.

How can you protect your digital privacy?

The best way to protect your digital privacy is to take personal responsibility for it. However, if you want to do it, you don’t have to delete yourself from the internet. Here are some tools that can help you protect your privacy online:

• A virtual private network (VPN). A VPN helps to improve your privacy by encrypting your internet traffic, which makes it difficult for third parties to monitor your online activities. However, while some VPN can change your virtual location and encrypt your data, they do not make you totally anonymous. Online platforms and other websites can still collect data based on your interactions and usage patterns. However, some VPNs offer additional features that block online trackers and enhance the privacy of internet users.
• Privacy-focused browsers. There are web browsers that are designed with privacy in mind. They reduce tracking and block malicious ads, bringing more security while browsing. Brave and Tor are a couple of such browsers for privacy.
• Browser extensions for your privacy. You can also install browser plug-in extensions that protect your privacy, like ad blockers and tracker blockers. They help prevent third-party tracking and data collection.
• Private search engines. Private search engines do not track your queries or collect personal data; examples include DuckDuckGo or Startpage. They provide results without compromising your privacy.
• Messaging apps with end-to-end encryption. Ordinary messaging apps can be accessed by service providers or intercepted by hackers or governments. The most secure messaging apps available encrypt your messages and ensure that only you and the receiver can read them.
• Antivirus software. Regular use of antivirus software can protect your devices from malicious software that can compromise your privacy. These tools help prevent data breaches and protect against various online threats.
• Cloud storage. Cloud storage solutions help prioritize privacy and security. Services with strong encryption practices ensure that your private files are secure and accessible only to you and those you choose to share them with. Proper configuration of your cloud storage privacy settings and using a reputable service can help you protect sensitive files and data from unauthorized access.
• Regular updates. Get your operating systems, applications, and security software up to date to fix vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.
• ​​Privacy policies and app permissions. Always check and manage the permissions you granted to the apps installed on your devices. Many apps request access to more data than they need, such as location, contacts, or the camera. For example, some of the worst apps for privacy are known for excessive data collection and invasive tracking practices. Additionally, always review the privacy policies of apps to understand how your data is being used and protected. By this, you can limit the information that apps can collect and reduce your exposure to potential privacy risks.

How governments and organizations protect your digital privacy

Governments and organizations implement a number of regulations to ensure that digital privacy is protected. Some key laws include:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This regulation, enforced in the European Union, creates tight requirements for data protection and privacy, including the rights of individuals to access, correct, and delete their data.
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CCPA grants dwellers of California the right to know what personal data is being collected about them, access that data, and request its deletion.
• Other regulations. Various other countries and regions, such as Brazil and Canada, have their own data protection regulations, with LGPD and PIPEDA, respectively, which aim to enhance privacy and control over personal data.

Failure to comply with data protection regulations can result in substantial fines and legal actions for governments and organizations.

Individuals also have the right to be informed about how their information is used, to access their data, and to request its correction or deletion. It’s essential to understand these rights and manage your data responsibly.