A Podcast on Digital Privacy with Diane Bowen

Transcript 

Privacy in the digital age is not a new concern. Even the UN wrote a resolution on the right to privacy in the digital age in November 2016.

I have a lot of personal information online such as photos, my birthday, my email addresses, my employers, the things I’ve written, my home address, which groups or organizations I belong to. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if my political affiliation was online, too.

Maybe there is no such thing as true privacy in the digital age. In an On the Media podcast from January 4, 2013, Ryan Singel explains that the Internet is a giant copy machine any content available on the web can be copied and distributed.

According to the Pew Research Center in an article from January 26, 2017 by Kenneth Olmsted and Aaron Smith, Americans do not trust modern institutions to protect their personal data even as they frequently neglect cyber security best practices in their own personal lives.

I’m guilty of this myself! 

John Breyalt, vice president of public policy at the National Consumers League says

“The truth is there’s no silver bullet, there’s no foolproof way to protect your privacy and data security... But there are plenty of basic, important steps people can take to reduce their risk.”

Protecting my information from the CIA, well, I don’t have to protect my information from the CIA, they can look at anything they want.

But protecting my information from the bad guys? My brother had his identity stolen. I should know better!

I definitely need to do more to protect my digital information. I have changed my Facebook and social media settings to only share with my friends.  I have installed ad-blocking and tracking blocking plugins, such as Https Everywhere and Privacy Badger. I have enabled two-factor authentication wherever possible and use a password manager like Last Pass for unique and complex passwords.

The only person who is going to look out for my digital privacy is me. I encourage you to do the same.

Sources

Rosevere, Lee. Colourless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously. Music for Video, 21 August 2010 http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Colourless_Green_Ideas_Sleep_Furiously/  Accessed 30 January 2018.

Lang, Marissa.There is No Such Thing as True Privacy in the Digital Age. San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar 2017.

http://www.govtech.com/security/There-is-No-Such-Thing-as-True-Privacy-in-the-Digital-Age.html  Accessed 30 January 2018.

Brown, Deborah. New UN resolution on the right to privacy in the digital age: crucial and timely. Internet Policy Review, 22 Nov 2016, 

https://policyreview.info/articles/news/new-un-resolution-right-privacy-digital-age-crucial-and-timely/436  Accessed 30 January 2018.

Olmstead, Kenneth and Smith, Aaron. Americans and Cybersecurity. 26 Jan 2017

http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/01/26/americans-and-cybersecurity/  Accessed 30 January 2018.