What is Privacy? Privacy risks online
You constantly take decisions on sharing information with various entities. So it’s worth putting some effort in understanding your data. We will also discuss general measures to be taken to protect privacy.
What is Privacy?
Privacy is the ability to safeguard certain aspects of your existence by protecting your personal information. Such information could exist in the digital world, the physical world, or both. Privacy could include protection of your identity, data, personal space, bodily integrity and reputation, among others. 1
Privacy in the Digital World
You need to be aware of the information your devices generate/store. Only then will you be able to take measures in protecting your personal information. You constantly take decisions on sharing information with various entities. So it’s worth putting some effort in understanding your data.
For example:
- Your mobile devices gather your location data using GPS system.
- Devices save time and location information along with the image when a picture is taken.
Be aware of the your device communications and with whom it is sharing your data. Read more on this topic in Device Security and Network Security sections.
Measures to Protect Privacy
Read Privacy Policies
Before using any on-line service, spend some time to understand their privacy policy. If the privacy policy is not available or not clear, ask the service provider for information on how your data is being handled. These services include software, websites or apps for email, forums, messaging, social networking, news, cloud storage, blogs, gaming, and Internet connected devices such as smart speakers and smart TVs, among others.
Share Only Necessary Information
While using any on-line service, share only necessary information and pay caution while sharing personally identifiable information. For instance, a delivery service needs your address but a forum or Social Network does not.
Organisations we have worked with
