THE LEWIS COLLEGE

479 Magsaysay St., Cogon, Sorsogon City

Academic Year 2019-2020

Bachelor of Elementary Education

ALBERT G. MATANDAG

PRIVACY
In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for
Living in the IT Era Subject

Date of Submission
06 November 2019
How do you protect your privacy online while still enjoying what you're doing? Is it even possible to keep your
privacy when so many websites and businesses deal with your personal details on the web?

Privacy is the “right to be free from unwarranted intrusion and to keep certain matters from public view” (Law
2015). As such, “privacy is an important element in the autonomy of the individual. Much of what makes us human
comes from our interactions with others within a private sphere where we assume no one is observing. Privacy thus
relates to what we say, what we do, and perhaps even what we feel” (MacMenemy 2016).

In real life, we really need privacy in order to keep us safe and secured with our hidden or private information
whether our privacy is for personal use or for internet searching. We need to apply such best methods or techniques
in order to reduce our risk of identity theft.

One anonymous said, Privacy is essential to autonomy and the protection of human dignity, serving as the
foundation upon which many other human rights are built. Privacy enables us to create boundaries and protect
ourselves from unwarranted interference in our lives, allowing us to negotiate who we are and how we want to
interact with the world around us.

Privacy protects us from arbitrary and unjustified use of power by states, companies and other actors. It lets us
regulate what can be known about us and done to us, while protecting us from others who may wish to exert control.

Privacy is also known as a fundamental human right.

 Is Privacy these days already a Myth?

Hackers Only Target VIPs and the Wealthy

High-value targets are an attractive proposition for hackers, but many prefer casting a wide net and taking advantage of
absolutely anyone they can capture – including you. To understand why you might be a perfectly valid target, you have to
understand that hackers and scammers aren’t always after the biggest bank account they can f ind. If they access sensitive
trade secrets in a mid-level employee’s files, for example, they can blackmail the company or sell the documents to one of
the company’s competitors. They can infect thousands of users with bots that they can then harness to launch DDoS and hold
websites for ransom. They can manipulate a user’s social media accounts to sell hundreds of fake likes to desperate
marketers or to give fake accounts a collection of friends to make them seem real. Anyone can be a target - and when
hackers aim to hit as many users as possible then everyone is a target, including you.

Incognito Mode/Private Windows on Your Browser Help Keep You Anonymous

Many popular internet browsers feature private modes, but the level of privacy offered by these settings is paper thin at
best. To their credit, these browsers are often very upfront about both the capabilities and limitations of their private
modes, but whoever reads the instructions. Essentially, these modes prevent your browser from collecting cookies, which
sites use to track your traffic. That’s a good start, but it’s not enough if you want to remain anonymous (or as close to it as
possible). Websites can still fingerprint users, send tracking pixels to their cache and identify visitors’ IP addresses.

How about proxy extensions for your browser? It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough. Not all proxy extensions
are encrypted and those that are will be limited exclusively to browser functions. That means that any other online
communication your device conducts outside of your browser (for example, push notifications from your apps) won’t be
covered. However, a proxy extension will help hide your location and potentially prevent cookies and other tracking tools
from reaching your browser, depending on the proxy you use. The best browser to remain anonymous is Tor. This free
browser sends traffic through several layers of encryption to hide your traffic, location, and identity. Tor is a very powerf ul
online privacy tool, but it can (sometimes significantly) reduce browsing speeds, and websites will still receive any data
you give to them willingly.
 Is Privacy these days already a Myth?

Facebook Is Private, Only Your Friends Can Access Your Data

Facebook has a lot of privacy and security settings, and you’ll have to understand them all to paint a clearer picture of
what they can and can’t do with your data. However, here are a few givens:

Your name, profile picture, cover photo, gender, networks, username, and user id will always be publicly available.

Any app you add will be granted access to your friends list. Settings can be adjusted but issues have been raised about
the transparency of this.

The first point is only the beginning. Facebook has a wide array of different settings that can be fine-tuned to make
your account as closed or as open as possible. It’s important to explore them all and understand how they work. You
may be surprised at how open some of Facebook’s default settings are.

The second point is important because it’s at the heart of the recent Cambridge Analytica controversy. People were
shocked when whistle blower Christopher Wylie revealed that the company had accessed the data of millions of users
without their consent and then used it to help the Donald Trump election campaign in the US.

This underscores the importance of closely reviewing your app permissions. Do you trust every app or company
you’ve added? Do you know how all of them use your data and whether or not they sell it to anyone else? Do you really
need that app to access everything that it has asked for? Each of these questions usually involves a trade off with
convenience or functionality on one end and privacy on the other. And then there are cases like Cambridge Analytica,
where we can see that those rules aren’t necessarily followed.
 Is Privacy these days already a Myth?
Any VPN You Choose Will Keep Your Traffic Safe and Private

Not all VPNs were created equal. Using one is important for ensuring maximum possible online privacy, but some will
actually take a step backwards if you’re not careful. As enticing as they are, free VPN services should be ignored. Always
remember - when a valuable service is provided for free by a for-profit company, you’re not the customer, you’re the
product. There are different ways to run a free VPN, and most of them involve monetizing users’ data. Whether this means
selling your traffic logs or injecting ads into the sites you visit, it doesn’t translate into much more privacy for you. Paid
VPNs answer to you, the paying customer… unless they belong to the 14 Eyes. The 14 Eyes is a term in the privacy
community that refers to an alliance of 14 countries that share surveillance data and/or data and surveillance legislation. If
a VPN is located in one of those countries, it is highly likely that it keeps some sort of logs on its users and/or their traffic.
Law enforcement or other government agencies can then request this data virtually at will. The best possible service is a
paid, full-featured VPN that doesn’t track its users. VPNs can avoid onerous surveillance legislation simply by registering
in countries that have no such laws on the books. For example, NordVPN, a popular full-featured VPN, is registered in
Panama, which has no online surveillance laws whatsoever. NordVPN’s no-logs policy means that nobody can demand a
log of their users’ activities, and if they do, there’s nothing there to surrender.

Your Phone Will Always Choose the Most Secure Internet Connection Possible

Your phone will choose whichever connections you allow it to or whichever ones you give it, so make sure you’ve reviewed
your settings. It’s widely known that public Wi-Fi hotspots are privacy and security nightmare, so if you use them regularly
consider securing your traffic with a VPN or changing your habits. If your phone has been set to connect to open hotspots
automatically, then you need to turn this setting off immediately. Public Wi-Fi hotspots are the perfect place for hackers and
scammers to collect data from unsuspecting users. You’ll be in better hands with your phone’s mobile data service. 4G is
often encrypted and is much harder to intercept. It’s not impossible - authorities in numerous countries have found lone
telephone towers in the wilderness set up by cybercriminals to intercept wireless data traffic - but it’s a much more
expensive and involved operation. In addition, telecoms often cooperate freely with the government whenever they want to
access user information. One way or another, encrypting your mobile data using a VPN app is probably a good idea.
 Is Privacy these days already a Myth?

If Device Is Offline That Makes It Totally Safe

Staying disconnected is an excellent, if inconvenient, way to keep your device secure. Most hackers and scammers work
online, and if you have no internet, you have no hackers or scammers, right? Not quite. Viruses and malware are very good at
spreading via physical data storage as well. Indeed, the notorious Stuxnet worm, which was used to incapacitate Iran’s
uranium enrichment efforts, was propagated using infected USB flash drives. Other viruses and malware are often perfectly
capable of doing the same. Even if your computer is disconnected from the internet, make sure it has a program capable of
checking and quarantining files introduced using CDs or USB drives.

Encrypting Your Traffic Will Keep Your Data Totally Private and Secure

Encrypting your own traffic is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure online privacy. However, don’t forget
that every website storing your information is a potential weak point that could reveal your information to the public. You
can only ensure 99% security and privacy up to the point when your data leaves your hands.

These unwanted exposures may occur due to malice, incompetence, or a bit of both. The scandalous Equifax breach in
2017 exposed millions of Americans’ sensitive data to hackers, and experts are still trying to figure out who should be
more at fault - the hackers themselves or the executives who behaved so irresponsibly with users’ data.

In other situations, you may not be aware of the extent to which your data is being shared by services that you
trust. Google collects a worrying amount of data about our traffic to target us with ads. As I mentioned above, it’s important
to review your Facebook settings so you know exactly how your information is used and who can see it. Even then, the
unfolding Cambridge Analytica controversy has proven that you may never truly be aware of how your data is shared.
Indeed, the best way to stay private is to never share your information with the world in the first place.
 Is Privacy these days already a Myth?
Once You Have a VPN and an Antivirus, Your Privacy Is Virtually Guaranteed

No matter how many state-of-the-art security tools and software you protect yourself with, your system will always have a
weak point - you. Social engineering, and the countless scams it has produced, is one of the most powerful ways to breach a
system. They turn the owner of the system against themselves. Scams are growing more and more sophisticated, but if
you’re a system administrator, even the throngs of Nigerian princes eager to transfer their inherited wealth should worry
you. Not all older internet users have the same immunity to paper-thin scams as younger users do. That’s why it’s important
to block suspicious emails, establish clear data sharing guidelines and educate users on recognizing scams that might
evade your detection. Short of a good file scanner and malware filter, there’s not much stopping you from downloading a
virus or other malware if you trust the person sending it. Viruses are designed to be undetectable, so someone you know
and trust could unwittingly transmit one to your device. Powerful antivirus software will do much to prevent threats like this,
but nobody’s perfect. Antivirus software companies have to constantly update their databases to identify new emerging
threats, and it’s not always possible to predict them, so they’re often one step behind in their cat-and-mouse game.

Data Collection Is Impossible to Avoid and Anonymity Is Impossible to Achieve

This one’s a bit of a tough nut to crack. Strictly speaking, true 100% online anonymity probably is impossible to achieve.
You can come pretty close, but to do so, you may have to sacrifice much of the functionality and features that make the
internet such a great and convenient tool. However, using just a few simple tools like a full-featured VPN and antivirus
software will get you a long way towards your goal without sacrificing much. You’ll also have to change your browsing
habits to minimize the amount of data you share with the world. At some point, only an extraordinary and targeted event
would be able to reveal any personal data you’d like to keep private and if that’s the case, most users can rest assured that
they are browsing privately. The fight to protect online privacy is an uphill battle, and it’s one with many different
opponents - from over-reaching corporations and cybercriminals to governments interested in mass surveillance. As long
as the corporations whose services we use are unwilling to respect privacy as a right, the fight will continue to be a difficult
one. Nonetheless, there is a wealth of tools at your disposal to help you maintain your privacy and security online. If you do
your homework, the reward will be worth it - you’ll breathe easy knowing that your online traffic and sensitive data are
secure from prying eyes and malicious hackers.
 Tips to Improve your Internet Privacy

1. Check Social Privacy Settings

If you have social accounts, those networks have a lot of information about you, and you might be surprised how much of it
is visible to anybody on the Internet by default. It is recommended to check your privacy settings.
2. Don’t Use Public Storages for Private Information

Over-sharing is not limited to social networks. Don’t use online services that are meant for sharing information to store
your private data. For example, Google Docs isn’t an ideal place to store a list of passwords, and Dropbox is not the best
venue for your passport scans unless they are kept in an encrypted archive. Don’t use services meant for sharing to store
your private data.
3. Evade Tracking

When you visit a website, your browser discloses a bunch of stuff about you and your surfing history. Marketers use that
information to profile you and target you with ads. Incognito mode can’t really prevent such tracking; you need to use
special tools. Use private browsing in Kaspersky internet security to avoid internet tracking and learn more about tools
that can protect you from web tracking.

4. Keep your Main E-Mail Address and Phone Number Private

Reward for sharing your e-mail address and phone number? Tons of spam in your e-mail inbox and hundreds of robo-calls
on your phone. Even if you can’t avoid sharing this info with Internet services and online stores, don’t sha re it with random
people on social networks. And consider creating a separate, disposable e-mail address and, if possible, a separate phone
number for these cases. Create an additional e-mail account and purchase an additional SIM card to use for online
shopping and other situations that require sharing your data with strangers.
5. Use Messaging Apps with End-To-End Encryption

Most modern messaging apps use encryption, but in many cases it’s what they
call encryption in transit — messages are decrypted on the provider’s side and stored on
its servers. What if someone hacks those servers? Don’t take that risk chose end-to-end
encryption that way, even the messaging service provider can’t see your conversations.
Use a messaging app with end-to-end encryption for example, WhatsApp. Note:
Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Google do not use end-to-end encryption. To
enable it, manually start a secret chat.
 Tips to Improve your Internet Privacy

6. Use Secure Passwords

Using weak passwords to protect your private information is as good as shouting that information to pass by. It’s nearly
impossible to memorize long and unique passwords for all the services you use, but with a password manager you can memorize
just one master password. Use long (12 characters and more) passwords everywhere; use a different password for each service
and use a Kaspersky Password Manager to make using secure passwords easier.

7. Review Permissions for Mobile Apps and Browser Extensions

Mobile apps prompt you to give permissions to access contacts or files in device storage, and t o use the camera, microphone,
geo-location, and so on. Some really cannot work without these permissions, but some use this information to profile you for
marketing (and worse). Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to control which apps are given which permissions. The same stands for
browser extensions, which also have unfortunate spying tendencies. Review the permissions you give to mobile apps. Do not
install browser extensions unless you really need them. Carefully check the permissions you give them.
8. Secure your Phone and Computer with Passwords or Passcodes

Our computers and phones store a lot of data we’d rather keep private, so protect them with passwords. These passwords don’t
have to be complicated and unique, but they should keep random people out. On mobile devices, do a bit better: six-digit PINs
or actual passwords rather than four digits and screen-lock patterns. For devices that support biometric authentication — whether
fingerprint reading or face unlock — that’s generally good, but remember that these technologies have limitations. Use
passwords or biometric authentication to lock your phones, tablets, and computers.
9. Disable Lock Screen Notifications

Protect your phone with a long, secure password. To keep that information from appearing on the locked screen, set up
notifications correctly. Disable lock-screen notifications or hide sensitive information from the lock screen.

10. Stay Private on Wi-Fi Networks

Public Wi-Fi networks usually do not encrypt traffic, and that means anyone on the same
network can try to snoop on your traffic. Avoid transmitting any sensitive data — logins,
passwords, credit card data, and so forth — over public Wi-Fi, and use a VPN to encrypt your
data and protect it from prying eyes.
 Simple Ways to Protect Your Web Privacy
Protecting your privacy offline is one thing, but as pervasive as the internet is, it's becoming harder
and harder to stay private online. Website forms need your name and phone number, your email
address is used on dozens of sites, your search history is stored on your computer, and it's nearly
impossible to keep your address private from a people search engine.
Don't Give Out Too Much Information in Forms

If you can manage it, refrain from answering all of those questions on web forms. If there isn't a requirement to enter ident ifying
information—like your middle name, physical address, employer, etc.—don't do it. For the fields that you do need to enter
Protecting your privacy offline is one thing, but as pervasive as the internet is, it's becoming harder and harder to stay
something into, think twice about what you're typing. This is a good web safety tip because it minimizes the personal information
private online.
that the website has on you. One way to do this is to provide "fake" information. Instead of entering your real email address, use
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Clean Up Your Search History

Most web browsers keep track of every single website you type into the address bar. This web history should be periodically
cleared out not only for privacy's sake (anyone can find it) but also to keep your computer running at top speed. In most desktop
web browsers, you can clear your web search history and website history by Ctrl+Shift+Del. Mobile Browsers store this option in
the settings. Just be sure that any options referring to your history are selected for removal.

Log Out of Search Engine Account

Some search engines require you to create an account and log in to access the full array of their services, including
search results. In order to best protect your privacy, it's always a good idea to log out of your account after running your web
searches. When you sign off, you're ensuring that nobody else will be able to browse through the list of sites you were visiting. It's
a bit like clearing your search history but it doesn't actually delete the information, which is something you might prefer if you
want to access your history but don't want it visible to anyone else using that device. Similarly, you might instead log
out before you run the search. If you don't want the website storing a record of what you're looking for, sign off so that there isn't a
trace of that search tied back to you. This is the best way to keep your search history private from companies that log it th rough
user accounts.
 Simple Ways to Protect Your Web Privacy

Watch What You're Downloading

Be extremely cautious when downloading anything (software, books, music, videos, etc.). This is a good idea for privacy
advocates to avoid spyware which can be used for remote tracking, but it's also a great way to keep your computer from freezi ng
up and malfunctioning. Some programs include adware that will report your surfing habits back to a third-party company that will
then use that information to send ads and unwanted emails.

Don't Share Private Information

This is similar to the web form tip above. When dealing with a blog, message board, comments section, social media site, Always
be sure that what you're sharing is something you wouldn't mind sharing in real life. Don't share information that could identify
you in public, especially if you're a minor. Keep identifying details like usernames, passwords, first and last names, addresses,
phone numbers, and maybe even most pictures, to yourself. These details, if left online for anyone to see, can be used for all sorts
of things, like to crack your email account password, find your physical address or other details, and track your location.
Use Caution on Social Media Sites

Social networking sites like Facebook are extremely popular, and for good reason: They
make it possible for people to connect with each other all over the world. However, it's
important that your privacy settings are set appropriately and that what you share on
social networking sites wouldn't reveal anything of a personal or financial nature.
Everything from comments, profile details, and photos could compromise your privacy.

Watch Out for Online Scams

If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is, and this especially applies on the web. Emails promising free computers, links
from friends that seem legit but lead to virus-laden websites, and all sorts of other web scams can make your online life quite
unpleasant, not to mention add all sorts of nasty viruses to your computer. Think carefully before following links, opening files,
or watching videos sent to you by friends or organizations. Watch for the signs that these might not be for real, which might
include misspellings, lack of secure encryption (no HTTPS in the URL) and improper grammar.
 Simple Ways to Protect Your Web Privacy

Protect Your Computer and Mobile Devices

Keeping your computer safe from harmful content on the web is simple with a few precautions, such as a firewall,
appropriate updates to your existing software programs, and antivirus software. It's also important to know how to
properly scan your computer for malware so there isn't something unsafe lurking around in the background as you're
having fun on the web. Desktop devices aren't the only places privacy-stealing programs can exist. If you have a phone
or tablet running third-party apps, consider using a virus scanner there, too. See our list of the best antivirus apps for
Android.

Keep a Close Eye on Your Online Reputation

Have you ever Googled yourself? You might be surprised (or shocked!) to see what
anyone can find out about you. Fortunately, you can keep a watchful eye on what the
web digs up on you by signing up for alerts anytime your name, brand, address,
email, etc. are mentioned. If there's too much of your personal data online, feel free
to remove what you can and then keep following the tips in this list to prevent
further leaks. This is pretty self-explanatory and sums up all of the above, but we're
calling it out here as an important reminder: just think twice before you do anything
on the web.
Avoid shady websites. If you'd be embarrassed to have your wife, husband, children, friend, employer, etc. see it, a
privacy breach there would be even worse than on a "regular" site. This is a low-tech way to protect your web privacy,
and yet, out of all the methods on this list, might be the most effective. Quit revealing so much information about
yourself online or that data could end up in public records for anyone to search through. Clean up your tracks if you
leave information behind that you don't want other people to know. You have to practice being private in order to
maintain privacy on the web.
 Tips to Protect Your Internet Privacy

1. Use Antivirus Software

Antivirus software is essential for any computer or phone – regardless of whether it is connected to the internet or not. They are
an excellent way to help prevent against online fraud or damage on your device. Antivirus software essentially helps prevent
against intrusion into a computer by an unwanted party. It does so by identifying a computer’s weak spots and adding strength
to those access points. It’s important to use so that data stored on a computer or a device remains safe and unreadable to an yone
other than for who it was intended.

2. Protect Against Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the ways that online fraudsters make use of all the information gathered on a person. They use this
information to pose as someone so that they can make use of all manner of elements from that person’s life. In the worst case s,
identity theft can allow a hacker to access a person’s bank accounts and steal money straight out of the account without the
person or bank realizing before it is too late. Protecting against identity theft is a way of stopping this from ever happeni ng. To
do so, people should be wary of the information that they give out about themselves. Key data is information such as zip codes,
first line of their address, mothers’ maiden names or bank account details. And this is just a few pieces of data that we all happily
give away online when making purchases or otherwise. Being aware of how identity theft occurs is the first step towards
protecting against it.

3. Optimize your Passwords

When we all first started using the internet and computers, the majority of us were guilty of using the same password across the
board. We used the same few letters for logging into our desktop at work and at home as well as all the online accounts we had.
Unfortunately, this is a sure fire way to have your accounts hacked and allow yourself to fall victim to online fraud. Hackers only
need to spy you logging into one application one time, and they are able to access any accounts you have online. The best way
around this is to use different passwords for everything. Those passwords also need to be optimized so that they are impossib le
to guess. Stay clear of using birthdays, relative names, pet names and other easy to guess combinations. Remembering them all
does sound like a headache, but there are ways around this other than storing them on your computer, which in itself is unsafe.
You can use password managers which will secure hundreds of unique passwords for you. A password manager can also
generate random and secure passwords when needed. We highly recommend Dashlane as a password manager.
 Tips to Protect Your Internet Privacy

4. Update your Cookies

Cookies are how websites gather and store information about your browsing history. It means that websites are able to use that
data to analyze your behavior online so they can better market products and services at you. However, it also means that these
websites can sell that analysis to a third party so that they also have the information on you. Given that we put so much of
ourselves online these days, it’s good to try to keep some sort of handle on where data about us gets to. While not all cookies are
bad, it pays to slightly tweak your settings so that if a cookie is installed on your computer or device automatically, you are at least
alerted. It’s a good way to know exactly who is reading your online activity.

5. Use a VPN to Make Browsing Anonymous

VPNs are perhaps one of the best ways to protect yourself online and have truly anonymous browsing sessions. They work by
connecting users to the internet through another server. That connection is than encrypted by the VPN provider who has set up
the Virtual Private Network for its subscriber. The encrypted connection is called a tunnel and they are incredibly difficult for
hackers and spammers to infiltrate to obtain data on a person while they are online. Plus, as the data is encrypted, even if they do
infiltrate the tunnel, they cannot read what is being sent over the internet anyway. Plus, one of the benefits of a VPN is th at the
provider hides the user’s IP address and gives them another one once they are connected to the server. This means that a VPN
can stop sites from tracking your actual IP address and therefore your location and browsing habits. Picking a VPN is tricky owing
to the huge market of them that exists. However, you can read our list of top rated VPN services, though we highly
recommend Express VPN above all others. They provide a consistent, reliable connection that is secure at all times. It makes
browsing anonymously easy as well as possible.

6. Turn off Your GPS

Turning your GPS off on your phone in its settings application is key to maintaining your privacy while online. By turning it off, it
means that all your applications (of which there will be many) will not be able to read where you are. Some of these applicat ions,
especially if they are social media apps, will post this location online. The reason that this is bad for your privacy is that it
advertises when you are not home. This is a safety risk for so many reasons. Plus, it’s not always the nicest feeling to know that you
can be tracked and traced wherever you go. Turning off your GPS is an easy way to stop geo tagging and any danger of revealin g
your location.
 Tips to Protect Your Internet Privacy

7. Deactivate the Auto Fill Option

This may sound like overkill, but turning off your auto fill option is an easy way to start protecting yourself online. Auto-
fill works by recognizing familiar words and numbers when you complete forms online. Have you ever noticed how
when you type in your home’s number, that an auto fill option comes up with your street name too? This is dangerous
for several reasons, but particularly because this information to enable auto fill to work has to be stored somewhere
online. If it stored online, it is open to a data breach by online criminals and hackers. To stop this even being a
possibility, simply turn your auto fill option off. The feature may save you a few seconds here and there, but ultimately
you can survive without it and it protects your identity online.

8. Using Private Browsing Modes

In answer to the increased need for online security and staying anonymous online, some browsers have a private
browsing feature. These features help users protect themselves when using the internet. A good example is Google
Chrome’s Incognito function. Many people will recognize it from the icon that looks like a hat and glasses. It certainly
has its limitations, but if you don’t have a VPN it’s better than nothing. Neither of them allow cookies or pop ups, plus
they use a secure and encrypted method for browsing. This means that neither of them tracked a user’s online activity
which further addresses online privacy.

9. Only Use HTTPS Links

HTTPS is a form of tech jargon that very few people actually know the true meaning behind. There is actually very litt le
need to know the technicalities behind it in any detail, other than you should always ensure that a website uses this as
part of its address. If it simply says HTTP or any other derivation, it is not safe to use. The reason that it is not safe is that
a website that is not HTTPS can have malware installed on it by a cyber-criminal or fraudster. This means that they can
gain access to the communications between the user and the website. Hackers can then obtain sensitive data on
website users. HTTPS ensures that users cannot do this by preventing intruders tampering between a website and its
users.
 Tips to Protect Your Internet Privacy

10. Make Sure All Your Social Media Accounts Are Private

This is fundamental to limiting the amount of sensitive data that is available about you that is online. Securing your social media
accounts is essential as these days most are public by default. This means that it is far easier to gather information on you and build
a bigger picture that opens you up to online fraud. Facebook is a prime example as it is no longer an application where users are in
full control of their internet privacy. Instead, it is huge money making company that makes a profit from the data that its u sers post
online or save to their profiles. It is possible to change your settings so that the company cannot sell your information, but users
should also be aware about what other information they post. For example, some users are guilty of inadvertently posting sensitive
information such as phone numbers or email addresses. This is helpful data to so many marketing companies o ut there as well as
online criminals. Or many, if not all, of us will post pictures of our vacation while actually on that vacation – thus revealing that our
homes are empty. This is a massive security risk. By changing your settings to the utmost private ones available, you are helping
protect your internet privacy no end. This needs to be done across all your social media accounts.

11. Remember to Log Out

It sounds so obvious, but so many of us simply don’t log out of our accounts when we sign in online. This means that our accounts
stay open and running in the background. It opens us up to a security breach. This is because those accounts or websites you are
logged into can then read everything else you are up to online. Importantly, closing the window of the account that you have
logged into is not enough. A social media giant like the aforementioned Facebook can read everything you are up to, even if you
have shut the application or window you were accessing Facebook through. Facebook then stores what yo u have got up to online
which then becomes a precious commodity to third parties, Facebook itself, and online hackers. You have no control of what
happens to that precious commodity either. To stay untraceable, simply log out each and every time you access an online account.
Again, it may take a few moments to do so, but the time you have spent may save you a great deal of pain further down the lin e.

12. Beware of Spam Emails

Spam emails are an easy way to avoid being hacked online. By deleting them immediately the moment they get into our inboxes,
we are protecting our internet privacy no end. Online users who open suspicious emails are ones that often fall victim to onl ine
fraud. The problem is, fraudulent and spam emails are becoming harder and harder to spot. Essentially, when opening any email,
we should be very cautious of clicking any links that are contained within them. It is by clicking those links that we open o urselves
up to a malware attack on your device. This malware can access your private information.
 Tips to Protect Your Internet Privacy
13. Use Public Wi-Fi and Hotspots with Caution

Public Wi-Fi seems like a good way to save our data allowance with our internet provider when out and about. But accessing the internet
through a hotspot or Public Wi-Fi on our handheld devices makes us extremely susceptible to online attack. This is parti cularly true if
we use that Public Wi-Fi to log on to any online accounts – social media or otherwise. Public Wi-Fi has no means of encryption so that
anyone who is using the same Wi-Fi can read whatever data you are transmitting. This means that accessing any financial data, bank
accounts or financial applications is a total no. It can be so tempting, but it is just not worth it due to the danger of exposing passwords
and sensitive data to prying eyes. However, if you need to use a Public Wi-Fi to access your bank or any other extremely sensitive data,
ensure you are using a VPN at the same time. A reputable VPN will make that Public Wi-Fi a secure network for you so that your data is
encrypted.

SUMMARY
Privacy is the “right to be free from unwarranted intrusion and to keep certain matters from public view” (Law 2015). We need
privacy in order to keep us safe and secured with our hidden or private information whether our privacy is for personal use o r for
internet searching. We need to apply best methods or techniques in order to reduce risk of identity theft. Privacy is also considered
as Fundamental Human Right. In my own perspective, Privacy is not a Myth because there still a platform for the users that still
maintains their private life or information.

As trusted user, it depends on them on how they protect themselves from unwanted things, on how they keep their personal
information safe and secured. In order to prevent this problem, we must be wise enough on visiting sites or using app that we trusted.
As I mention above, let’s apply those practical techniques while using internet services and visiting sites to prevent harm and keep
our private information protected and secured. Moreover, it’s better to apply the Netiquette while searching on the internet and to
avoid Malware. Let us remember, “Think before you Click” and the most important thing, “Use your Common Sense”.
 Reference/s

Kilpatrick Harold (2018). Myths. Online Privacy. Retrieved from https://www.globalsign.com/en/blog/online-privacy-myths-

keeping-you-from-maximum-online-privacy/. Accessed (November 5, 2019)

Kaspersky Daily (2019). Privacy. Ten Tips. Retrieved from https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/privacy-ten-tips-2018/23022/

Accessed (November 5, 2019)

Fisher Tim (2019).Protect. Web Privacy. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/protect-web-privacy-3901571 Accessed

(November 5, 2019)

Marcus Fiona (2019). Tips To Protect. Internet Privacy. Retrieved fromhttps://securethoughts.com/11-tips-to-protect-internet-

privacy/ Accessed (November 5, 2019)

Privacy International (2015). Right To Privacy And Why It Matters. Retrieved from https://rightsinfo.org/the-right-to-privacy-and-
why-it-matters/ Accessed (November 6, 2019)