With more people using the internet for daily tasks, privacy is a growing issue. It’s increasingly important and yet becoming more difficult to achieve. Your online privacy refers to how websites track you, how anonymous you are online, and how secure your information is.
When your online privacy is compromised, you risk being a victim. If your information is stolen, you may suffer damage to your finances, career, personal safety, and reputation. Be aware of these major concerns, so you can take steps to protect yourself online.
1. Learning Your Location
Did you know that your online activity can lead to your actual physical location? This poses risks to your personal safety and your home. Many apps on your phone request your location directly. For something like Uber or DoorDash, this makes sense. Other apps may ask for your location for no logical reason, but you give it without thinking. You can shore up location privacy by opting out of tracking for apps that don’t need to know your location.
Another way you can give away your location is through social media. If you geotag your location, someone paying attention to your account knows where you are and if your home is empty and vulnerable. Reassess your privacy settings and friend lists on social media.
2. Misuse of Financial Information
Online banking and shopping are commonplace these days, and with many sites, it’s safe and low-risk. Sites that have been in business for a while and that have good security and a solid reputation pose minimal risk.
Beware the online and e-commerce shops that are new or that you don’t recognize. They could be scam sites. Even if they are legitimate, they may have limited security in place, which puts you at risk of losing information to a hacker.
3. Sharing Personal Information
Be very wary of sites that request your personal information before giving you access. For instance, think twice if you’re shopping for a life insurance quote, and the site wants your email address and phone number to provide that information.
You might get some useful information about insurance, but the site could be selling your information. Investigative journalists have found numerous chat rooms where people buy and sell this kind of information as part of a lucrative market. It’s not likely worth the exchange to hand over your information just to get quotes or a freebie. Avoid sites like these, and only provide personal and contact information if you trust the site and company.
4. Identity Theft
One of the most significant risks of sharing too much personal information is identity theft. Many companies only want that information to sell you something, but some people are out to do something more sinister.
Identity theft is a serious issue because the person taking on your personal information can do real damage. Pretending to be you, they can take out credit cards or loans in your name or make major purchases as you. This damages your finances, of course, but can also wreck your credit. It can take years to recover from identity theft.
5. Reputation Damage
A lack of privacy online can do more than just financial damage. It can also touch on the more intangible aspects of your life, like your reputation. If someone is out to get you, they can quickly spread outdated information or outright lies about you or your company.
Protecting your information is critical for this reason. If the damage is already done, check out reputation management services. These professionals can prevent more harm and even remove some of the harmful content.
6. Lack of Anonymity
Ultimately, what you lose out on when using the internet is anonymity. The internet is mainly free because companies track your activities and use that information to target advertisements. The downside is that you cannot be truly anonymous.
Most consumers and internet users fail to recognize this fact fully. You likely behave in ways online as if you cannot be seen. To protect your information, finances, reputation, and safety, it’s important to be aware of just how seen you are online. Nothing you do is anonymous, so behave accordingly.
Online Privacy is an Ongoing Concern
American internet users have fewer privacy rights and protections than people in most other countries. When you are aware of this fact, you can take action to protect yourself. Online privacy is an ongoing issue that too many people ignore, but that is incredibly important to anyone who uses the internet.