For many of us, we have limited knowledge about the digital spaces we interact with. For me, my digital presence spans from social media outlets to the Learning Management Systems used by my educational institutions. Because of this, it is important to develop a concrete knowledge of how to protect myself while maintaining an online presence. After the readings this week, it’s clear that privacy and agency are key to building a safe online environment.
Privacy
We all are aware of the reputation that the internet has when it comes to privacy. Learning about the technologies/platforms around us will allow us to protect ourselves and still have a secure digital presence. The source Understanding And Maintaining Your Privacy When Writing With Digital Technologies written by Lindsey C. Kim explains how to implement privacy skills online (pg. 247-48). Gathering information about the sites makes it easier for users to use keywords to protect their privacy. This allows them to still be genuine within their writing and remain private. As we tend to share our lives online it is still important that we control our personal information since data is constantly being collected online. As Lindsey Kim mentioned, the flow of information and data online is inevitable (pg. 245-46). This being said, privacy is extremely important for a safe secure environment.
Martha Fay Burtis, author of Messy & Chaotic Learning: A Domains Presentation at Keene State College , talks about the importance of domain naming (p. 58-61). Sites can be easily accessed when a personal name is used resulting in a less private domain. A private domain would not include a name but a made-up title for the site. The domain name determines the likeliness of the site appearing in results of the search engines. The article Domain name system security and privacy: A contemporary survey informs that domain names are a security breach (pg. 2-3). Since the Domain Name System (DNS) often encounters security breaches, there are always privacy risks. Protecting yourself from these security breaches means being responsible for what you share in your domain and online. Developing a deeper knowledge about the workings of the internet and its components will help protect our privacy.
Agency
Agency can be described as one’s ability to produce through taking action. Author Lindsey C. Kim talks about the importance of agency when using the web. As mentioned in, Understanding And Maintaining Your Privacy When Writing With Digital Technologies, the agency is often limited in an online environment (pg. 243-245). Not to any fault other than giving over our personal data both willingly and unwillingly. Since we are attempting to make a digital space of our own in which we feel secure, the agency is needed. In order to feel comfortable in an online setting we have to be in control of our information under our own digital roof. By practicing agency, we can make a safe space for us to contribute and share as digital citizens.
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