Threats to Privacy in Digital Age

2022-04-07 JIAWENCHEN Uncategorized Comments Off on Threats to Privacy in Digital Age

Threats to Privacy in Digital Age

Jiawen Chen

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Have you ever felt that online websites and mobile applications ask for too much information including personal details? Have you noticed the advertisements for destinations or the fashion products or gadgets you are discussing? Have you ever felt or were subjected to online stalking? Do you feel that everything about you is online and easily accessible? Well, right there, at any or all those instances, your privacy was threatened or compromised.

No individual is immune to the pull of the digital world, which comprises the social media platforms, online commerce, online banking, online gaming, the existence of a virtual world – the Metaverse and similar other prospects requiring the use of the Internet. Undoubtedly, the digital revolution is omnipresent, and as mentioned by Chamoux (2018), it has brought forth beneficial technological advances, but the toll taken by it on individuals’ privacy cannot be left unnoticed. There exists only a limited acknowledgement of the fact that invasion of privacy is a consequence of digital transformation. It is an issue of concern and needs to be understood in great depth (Flew, 2021). The digital age has introduced several proactive measures to keep individuals informed and connected but it comes at the cost of threat to privacy, which requires acknowledgement of relevant control measures.

The blog explores the issue of concern embedded within the life of individuals that has the technology and the Internet interwoven in it. The way the Internet and digital world pose a threat to the privacy of individuals is discussed and why these privacy threats emerge is also highlighted. The article critically analyses the causes of the privacy threat while recommending ways to save oneself from falling prey to online scams. The extensive use of the online video conferencing site Zoom amid the COVID-19 pandemic brings out the case of one of the recent privacy threats and is discussed in the article.

What is a Privacy Threat?

The feeling that the Internet knows more about you than it is intended to, is a threat to privacy. The feeling and observation that the Internet even knows what is going through your mind is a threat to privacy. In the simplest terms, Bloustein and Pallone (2018) defined the term privacy as the ability of individuals to protect their private life and private environment, which also included their private information about them. It is a fundamental right of humans and is recognised internationally within documents as well as practice. Privacy encompasses the right to secrecy and the right to be left alone while protecting self from unwanted scrutiny. The work by Romansky and Noninska (2020), highlighted that the digital age, which is the collection of different technological solutions possesses the ability to violate basic principles like information security and privacy. The unregulated access to information and personal data, which is stored with or without the knowledge of the users across different nodes of the network that exists on a global scale, is a threat to privacy (Romansky & Noninska, 2020). Therefore, it can be concluded that any personal information about the users of digital platforms, collected and stored within systems, and accessed by others without the permission of the owner, creates a threat to the privacy of each user.

Why is there a Privacy Threat?

When discussing and analysing the element of threat to privacy, it is crucial to evaluate the reasons behind the existence of this privacy threat. Throughout the day, at least 15-18 hours are spent surrounded by gadgets, all of which have access to the Internet. The catch here is that the Internet is always listening. In a video published by WWLTV (2019), it is mentioned that the Internet captures all the information from the conversations of the users. The credit card information, social security number, location of the pictures posted on Facebook, even pictures posted on Facebook by the friends of the user, location tracking, which can be as specific as longitude and latitude quite a lot of times.

The extensively connected applications pick up the information explored or shared by users on the Internet. Consequently, the users are targeted with advertisements that are specific to their discussions. There is even political micro-targeting based on the opinions shared by people during their conversations. Dexeus (2018), highlights that the deepening effects of the digital revolution are seen in the depth of designs adopted by digital technologies and the Internet to stay informed about individual choices even when no feed is provided. The digital platforms store information about the users when making the services available to them, which is then uploaded on the world wide web for a long time. It becomes easy for the new and emerging applications and service providers to access the information on the preferences and opinions of the people (Flew, 2021). The viewpoints of individuals become the interests of the potential clients based on the targeted marketing and population and the success of new products through the new advertisements is why privacy threat exists.

Who causes Privacy Threat?

Believe it or not, you are the biggest threat to your privacy. How many times have you left the ‘terms and conditions’ section unread? How many times have you simply entered your details without even realising or re-checking how will they be stored and what company policies are? Moreover, can you recall the number of websites and mobile applications that asked for your credit card details to allow you to use them?

Active participation on social media platforms begins with the process of digital onboarding, which requires the users to voluntarily part with their personal information. The different online service providers like Facebook, Instagram and others ask for the preferences, likes and dislikes of the users in exchange for better suggestions and optimisation of the experience (Symeonidis, 2016). We all know about the scrutiny Facebook underwent after the US Presidential elections. Flew (2019) highlights that the access to the personal data of the users was the alleged impact on the elections. It is to be noted here that the individual Facebook users participated in the quiz with the embedded algorithm design, and it eventually compromised their views and preferences. Additionally, OTT platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, Prime and others want their users to select the genres from most enjoyed to least favourable, all with the promise of offering better choices and options for the watch list. The discussion initiated by Fernandez-Manzano & Gonzalez-Vasco (2018) indicated that the big data management in media business content platforms, specifically OTTs requires extreme care due to the sensitivity of the information. In maximum cases, it is therefore the users that lead to privacy threats by submitting and sharing their personal information in the greed for a better experience.

How is the Privacy Threat caused?

You must wonder how even when you agree to the terms and conditions of the different websites and restrict the use of your data on the online platforms, different services providers may have your details. The information fed into online websites is the dominant method of privacy threat. However, it is not simply about feeding your information into digital technologies. It extends beyond the way information fed in is used by the service providers. WWLTV (2019) explained that it is a web network developed across different platforms, which makes it easy for one company to absorb information from another. The third-party applications improve and extend their offers by observing the usage trend on the parent application. Liu et al. (2022) brought forth the element of interdependent privacy, which states that the users share others’ data without their knowledge and also with no consent from them. For instance, there are numerous times when you are asked to fill in the email of your friends when signing up on an app or applying for a credit card (Suzor, 2019). Therefore, interdependent privacy enables risks with no need for consent from the individual whose information is shared.

A recent example of the online application used for video conferencing brings out the role of third party applications in infringing individual privacy. Zoom – a popular video conferencing site, which you must have heard of if not used, got very popular during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone was working from home. Matthews (2020) reported in his article that Zoom engaged in mining data during the conversations users had and kept the process undisclosed. The process of obtaining the personal information of the users involved the transmission of data from Zoom and matching it to the LinkedIn profiles of the individuals. Matthews (2020) further pointed out that the application was so powerful that even when an individual signed anonymously, the fellow user could know the real name through the LinkedIn connection. The subscription-based tool named LinkedIn Sales Navigator was the cause of this threat to privacy and Zoom offered the customers assistance based on their marketing needs amid the use of the tool (Zoom, 2022). Aiken (2020) researched Zoom and its applications and highlighted the need to zoom in on privacy concerns arising from the extensive use of the video-conferencing application. The attack on personal information was recognised as the Zoom bombing, which is a coordinated online attack targeting the users (Aiken, 2020). Thus, from Zoom’s attack on the privacy of its users, it becomes clear that digital technology has its fists clenched on the information shared online making it necessary to use digital technologies wisely.

Ways to Protect Privacy

The wise use of the technology available at every corner requires the users to do away with their oblivious attitude. Almost always people sign up on websites, and mobile applications and feed in their details without reading the terms and conditions properly. Most of the users simply scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the ‘I agree’ section without even realising what they are agreeing to. To ensure that privacy is not toiled with, the users should ensure that they take time out to read the privacy and user agreements properly before signing up. Marwick and Boyd (2018) mentioned that the government laws and regulations should work towards saving individuals’ private information from being misused through strict policies on operations and working of online portals.

Another method that has also been introduced by Apple, particularly in its iPhones is the restriction on the number and type of permissions that the installed applications have on devices. Rathore and Tripathy (2020) explored the feature where restrictions on information leakage to third-party applications are put in and concluded that monitoring applications and disabling the automated function of sharing information across platforms are important. Flew (2021) further states that while there should be clear terms for the digital service providers regarding what they should do and should not do with the information of the users, it is equally important for the users to ensure that they do not give in the temptation of sharing their detailed interests for receiving enhanced experience. The user has to be proactive and vigilant when getting online.

Summary

Digital technologies and the Internet are such a vast pool of services that users cannot stay immune to their offers. Now and then, the users give in to the temptation of experiencing something better and something unique. However, in their greed to want more, they let the applications and online websites take their personal information along with the things that are close to their heart as well as that of their friends. Thus, it is not just the individual user’s privacy but also the interdependent privacy that faces the threat of being intervened. Certain applications like Zoom use the individual data to connect it with different paid services offered by the parent organisation, which is a planned and interconnected online attack. Though it is not possible to be sure of being able to protect individual privacy, certain efforts like restricting permissions for third-party applications to access information and giving terms and conditions a read can help users safeguard themselves from unwanted marketing as well as scams and frauds.

References

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