iProtech | Protecting Your Digital Self
A Path Towards Ensuring Digital Safety
How are you, dearest user? This is to inform you that risks and threats online continue to increase which is why iProtech would like to raise awareness on how we can protect ourselves from the mentioned risks and threats.
Ready yourselves as we explore more about digital privacy and safety!
What is Digital Privacy?
Privacy is a fundamental right and an essential safeguard in the digital era to keep oneself safe from abuse and deception. According to Edmonton Public Library “Digital privacy refers to the protection of an individual's information that is used or created while using the Internet on a computer or personal device” means that protection of our privacy helps us to define who we are, how we want to connect with others and how to defend ourselves against inappropriate intrusions in our life.
Privacy allows us to set limits on who has access to our bodies, places and objects; our communications, personal information and our privacy. Information privacy, or data privacy (or data protection) and digital privacy, is the relationship between collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. In addition, freedom cannot exist in society without respect for the individual’s right to privacy. It may appear to be an extravagance but a free and society cannot function without it. We make daily decisions regarding our privacy because it is essential to who we are as human beings.
As a result, it provides us the freedom to express ourselves without fear of judgement or discrimination and is a virtual part of empowering ourselves to control who know what about ourselves. Furthermore, privacy concerns exist wherever personally identifiable information or other sensitive information is collected and stored – in digital form or otherwise. Improper or non-existent disclosure control can be the root cause for privacy issues.
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Digital Privacy Issues
Online users are incredibly vulnerable to security threats, and there is a long list of issues associated with their safety. A threat is a statement indicating that you will cause harm to or create some other kind of negative consequences for someone or imposed by misinformation and disinformation. According to Manish J. Gajjar there is type of attack-threat, which is location privacy threats.
Click the link below for some of the major threats concerning location privacy threats;
Tracking Threat
In this type of threat, the attacker can receive continuous updates of user location in real time, which can be used to identify the user’s location routes, predict future locations, and/or frequently traveled routes with sufficient accuracy using a user’s mobility patterns
Identification Threat
In this type of threat the attacker can receive sporadic updates of user location, which can be used to identify the user’s frequently visited locations (such as home or work place) and these places can be used to disclose a user’s identity.
Profiling Threat
In this type of threat the attacker may not have the required information to identify the user but can use the locations to profile the user. For example, an attacker can identify which hospitals or religious places a user visits, or which places the user goes for shopping, and how often.
The moment our information gets leaked or phished, it could result to a breach of both our personal and digital life. Remember that through the above privacy threats, it can lead into a lot of cybercrimes such as cyberbullying which is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature and also known as online bullying and identity theft which is the fraudulent acquisition and use of a person's private identifying information, usually for financial gain. There is more to watch out for if any of your data gets stolen which is why it is important to inform ourselves of what we can do to avoid or prevent such unfortunate events.
Ways On How We Can Protect Ourselves From Online Threats
Password-Protect Devices
Make sure to change your password frequently and enable multi-factor authentication as much as possible in order to secure all data and information involved in your accounts.
Watch Out For Phishing Attempts
Remember, there will always be people trying to break in your personal accounts so you must be aware of the many ways they can access you such as through links or messages they sent you. Do not click or open them!
Never Give Personal Info Over the Phone
You must keep all data and information personal and accessible only to you. Do not solely rely online for you can expose yourself to more threats. Always validate sources before you provide information.
Limit Your Exposure
Your accounts and information must stay private. If you can limit yourself from exposure in the online world, do so. It will help you better from being a target for such malicious acts.
Inform yourself of these ways to prevent yourself from the risks and danger online. Identifying and verifying evidence will help you to prevent consuming misinformation, you can also do a fact-checking before believing in that information. In addition, you need to be aware of sharing your personal information to other specially on social media or in a text message from someone you did not know.
"Without privacy, there is no point in being an individual."