Privacy and Agency on the Web

Online privacy is more than just what your mom told you about not telling your name or age to strangers on the Internet. Digital privacy encompasses everything you do, starting the second you turn on your device. As creepy as it sounds, in the digital world, everything you do is recorded. Be that as it may, there are still ways to ensure your own safety while perusing the web.

Is Anything Even Actually Private Online?

Believe it or not, people used to go to the library and talk to each other when they needed info. Nowadays, if anyone has a question, they just ask Google (or AI). And just using an Incognito Browser doesn’t do jack to hide any of your history from your ISP. Just a little bit of critical thinking shows all that info is owned by the platform provider. Search history – bought and sold by Google or Apple if you use Safari. Facebook and Instagram messages – both owned by Meta –  renowned for their user privacy. Purchase history – you can bet Amazon and eBay make a fortune off of your recorded spending patterns. In all fairness, most of that stuff isn’t inherently wrong. The problem arises because most users are not even aware that it’s happening. 

Just Hurry Up and Tell Me What to Do Before I Ask ChatGPT

The thing is, you do have at least some level of control. There are quite a few ways you can, at the very least, reduce the amount of your personal data that is sold without your knowledge. Let’s go over a few that I use myself: 

1. App Permissions – Pay attention to what permissions an app asks for when you download it. This one should be fairly obvious, but no, that mobile racing game does not need access to your location. My general rule of thumb is if I can’t instantly rationalize why an app would need it, say no. And if the app can’t function without that permission, you can just find a different app!
2. Browsing Data – Ever received an oddly specific targeted ad on YouTube or Instagram after searching for something? Yeah, that wasn’t coincidental. Google and Safari sell your search history, even if you delete it. You can’t fully eliminate this, but you can reduce it. My recommendation: use Firefox with a handful of privacy addons. I won’t go too in-depth here due to brevity, but that’s a good start.
3. Social Media Posts – While ideally I would just tell people to steer clear of social media as a whole, I realize that’s not feasible for most. I personally don’t use any, but if you do, maybe don’t make it so obvious? Not every second of your day needs to be recorded online alongside your face and current location. At the very least, maybe just don’t make your password your name. Or your dog’s name. Or your birthday. C’mon, guys, it’s the simple stuff that puts you into sticky situations. And if you know that you just can’t help but share and repost controversial content, maybe just keep a separate account NOT associated with your face and social life, including all your coworkers and friends you’ve known since middle school.
4. Just Plain Common Sense – You don’t need to live like a Luddite afraid of the internet. It’s okay to share your Spotify playlist and send a couple of memes to your friends. And if posting is your thing, then by all means, keep a blog or YouTube channel! But do a litmus test for things you post. Do I want this on the internet permanently? Do I want future associates/colleagues to be able to find this? Does this give away too much personally identifiable information? Is this something that I might regret at any point in the future? Would my mother be pleased if she saw this randomly one day? If your answers don’t look something like, “Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Maybe?”, then maybe give it a second thought before you hit post.

Sarcasm aside, just be smart about what you do, guys. There’s plenty of information on internet privacy available quickly and for free. I know no one likes to think about “worst-case scenarios”. I believe it’s ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry. 

Wrapping it Up

Privacy isn’t just about keeping secrets; it’s about maintaining control. Having the knowledge that what is out there about you exists with your permission. I encourage all of you now to take a dive into what you can do to make your online spaces safer. And last thing to remember – if the service is free, then you are the product.