QotW6: I need MY privacy!!!

My Private Online World

In this age of vast internet usage, everything has literally gone online. Many of us are currently taking online courses, most of us shop online and most of us communicate with one another via the internet! Due to the increasing amount of time that is now spent online, people have begun to participate in many different kind of social networks, such as blogs and forums. Through these avenues, we can come together with people of similar interests, make new friends and discuss about topics that we are highly enthusiastic about. However, when communicating online, how do we necessarily know that the other party that we are talking to is actually who he described himself to be? How can we safeguard our online privacy while maintaining our active participation in online networks?

As sociologist Thomas Mathiesn puts it, we are experiencing an "omnipticon" in the internet age. We have to be aware that there are many people watching others, and even though we do not know who is being watched exactly, we cannot be oblivious to this fact. In addition, due to the nature of online communication, we often interact people whom we will never meet face to face. Thus, there is a tendency to market ourselves as someone who is popular and trustworthy. After all, who will actually know if that is your true identity? (Rosen, 2004)

I have been a member of several forums, such as femalefirst (www.femalefirst.co.uk) since last year. Though I fully appreciate the benefits that I receive from communicating with others, I am fully aware of the importance of protecting my privacy online. Therefore, I have taken the necessary measures to protect my online identity. Thus, I have adopted the following measures to ensure the privacy of my online identity and to guard myself against unwanted intrusion, such as cyber-stalkers.

Firstly, I try to be prudent about not revealing any personal information to any third parties when I am communicating with others in the forum. Web browsers can also be configured to create a pseudonym instead of using a real name. Therefore, I never go online with the name "Pamela" or "Pam", but choose another nickname. In addition, I often find many sites that offer prizes and rewards in exchange for personal data. However I never exchange my personal data and I have been taught not to respond to spam mail, even if it is to remove it because it will only show that there is someone at the receiving end and this will make your online presence a more valuable commodity to others. I have also developed an alternative email address when participating in any forums in order to avoid falling into the evil hands of others. (Hyman, 2002)
There have also been other tips that have been given to me, such as using strong passwords to protect my personal information and to to change my passwords regularly. ("staysafeonline", n.d.)

Practicing the above methods have allowed me to protect my online privacy so far. Hopefully I will not fall prey to all cyber-privacy crimes and let my online experiences such as participating in forums always be a pleasant one.

References:

Rosen, Jeffery (2004). "The Naked Crowd" Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm

Hyman, Gretchen (2002). " EFF Issues Update on Online Privacy" Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/1365961

Eight Cyber Security Practices to Stay Safe Online (n.d.) Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www.staysafeonline.info/practices/five.html

Female First Website www.femalefirst.co.uk