A student debates what to write due to privacy concerns online

Online Privacy and Technology

In Digital Spaces, online privacy and technology have many advantages and disadvantages. Many of us interact online through social media, search engines, emails, blog posts, online reviews/shopping, and educational websites for school.

Honestly, our phones and electronic devices have become part of our lives and that’s how we engage in society now. Our phones and electronic devices are always listening. The algorithm on Instagram and Youtube such as ads, videos, posts are based on how we interact on the internet.

In Lindsey C. Kim’s “Understanding and Maintaining Your Privacy When Writing with Digital Technologies“, she highlights how to use privacy skills online.

Messy and Chaotic Learning” written by Martha Fay Burtis highlights how users need to understand the responsibilities of the Internet and how you can protect your privacy in the best ways.

What is Online Privacy?

Online privacy protects the user’s personal information and data when they use the internet. This personal information can be stored, collected, and shares personal details, online activities, and communications.

Many aspects of online privacy protect any personal details, control access given to personal data, and establish protected online communication.

Online privacy struggles with these problems: data breaches, unofficial access, tracking, and the user information isn’t managed responsible on the online platforms and services.

Online users can improve their online privacy by customizing the privacy settings, using the two-factor encryption tools, and being careful about who, what, and where they share personal information online. 

In Lindsey C. Kim’s “Understanding and Maintaining Your Privacy When Writing with Digital Technologies“, she explains that in U.S. society the private property is referred to a space that is private and only a few people have access to the property by the permission of the owner (pg. 240-241).

The Internet allows the user to limit access to information and protect through security systems and passwords.

In Martha Fay Burtis’s “Messy and Chaotic Learning”, she explains about domain naming (pgs. 58-61).

She talks about accessing websites through your personal name that give less privacy and gives the Internet more access.

The private domain allows the user to use a unique name that won’t be connected to the user personally.

Both of the articles highlight the importance of privacy, the Internet, and how much students need to understand the challenges/consequences.

Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship defines the guidelines of technology and how to successfully use electronic devices and the Internet.

It shows the user’s online presence through your web searches, words, posts, reactions, reviews, likes, shares, and comments on any online platform.

Digital Footprint

Digital Footprint defines your online presence where you leave a trail of data.

It consists of your social media posts, online subscriptions/reviews/shopping, emails, blog posts, web searches, image searches, etc.

There are two forms of digital footprints: active and passive.

Active footprint shares the user’s personal information. Like a social media post under your personal name.

Passive footprint stores the user’s online activities and information collected in the background.

Firstly, it can be collected through how many times a website is visited, the location of the user, and the user’s IP address.

Secondly, when you see advertisements on social media based on interactions on your accounts that target you with specific content.

Thirdly, and most importantly, when you search on Google and certain words or questions pop up because other users have searched about these topics already. In conclusion, this happens through Siri, Alexa, Google Home when you say certain words or are talking about a certain topic out loud and your digital devices pick up on this and target the user with these specific content.


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