Excuse Me...A Little Privacy?

Privacy is arguably one of the most hotly discussed topics in the rhetoric of the internet.  Interestingly though, most everyday internet users don't give it a lot of thought or take the proper steps to ensure that their privacy is being protected.  Many think it is a simple as saying, "Hey, don't look at my shit."  However, that is not sufficient.  The fact of the matter is, most people overlook the privacy statements given by individual websites.  Pretty much anytime you join a website (especially a social media network), you will be asked to look over a Privacy Statement or a Terms of Service (many of which include info on privacy policies) and select a box that says, "I have read and agree."  Admit it, you skim over this without really reading anything; you just scroll down and check "I agree" and move on.  I'll be honest.  I do it too.  Well, if you're going to do that, don't bitch and complain about your privacy being infringed upon and claim "but I didn't know!"  If you're truly concerned about your privacy on a given website, look down around the bottom of the page.  Chances are there is a "Privacy Policy" or "Privacy Statement" link. Also, on social media, make sure that you are customizing privacy settings.  Although, as many of you who use Facebook know, those don't always work.  The most recent update to the networking giant included a newsfeed that pretty much ignores all privacy settings and will post your crap on the feed of pretty much anyone who is even remotely connected to you by mutual acquaintances, groups, etc.  There is a reason this thing has been dubbed the "stalker feed."  So if there is something you don't want others to know, don't post it.  Keep that stuff for private messages.

Websites aren't the only ones capable of getting ahold of things you'd rather keep to yourself.  Internet service providers often track where you're going and what you're doing.  While they're doing this primarily to improve your online experience by offering catered ads or remember you're most frequented sites, there is still some information you may not want them having.  Oh, and clicking "private browsing" or "incognito mode" doesn't really make you invisible.  They're still logging things, just not where you or others on your computer can see them.  So, if privacy is a major concern for you, read up before select an internet provider.

Another online entity that is harvesting your information may be the most dangerous of all: Your peers.  When it's on Facebook, it's pretty much fair game.  Be careful of what you post; you never know who is going to try and stockpile it.  Yes, I have had someone copy and paste my statuses to a word document to try to use them against me (FYI: didn't work).  And another individual (who I wasn't even friends with) started taking my photos and using them as his profile picture.  When I called him out on it, I got the response, "Well, when you put something on the internet, it becomes everyone's property."  Um, no, it doesn't work that way.  It's my face.  I own it.  After that incident, I put my profile on private, which, by the way, folks, isn't entirely private.  There are ways around it.

So in conclusion: If you want 100% total privacy on the internet, stay off of it.  There is no such thing.  If you want to browse the internet wisely then checkout the privacy statements of the sites you use, configure your settings, and be judicious of what information you put out there.