Whose watching you?

PRIVACY MATTERS

                                                                                 Google Images

Are you protected?         

 Where are your controls set?

Google Images

Privacy on the internet is almost non-existent and we give up control each time we shop, bank, and socialize on our favorite social media sites.  Facebook for example knows what you are doing online, the articles you are reading, videos you're watching, and content you are looking at. With this access they know what interests us and makes us tick. During an interview with Christopher Soghoian of the ACLU he noted "that's information they can leverage for advertising purposes .., its also information the government or divorce lawyers can come and ask for really at any moment" (Potter, 2016). We tend not to think about the vastness of how our online lives can be co-mingled with our everyday business.

Another question we need to ask is -am I being watched?? 

Soghoian also advised that the best thing we could do is to put a sticker over the webcam of our computers and noted how easy it was that "someone could take over your webcam  and collect footage without  the light even being turned on" (Potter, 2016). What I learned from this interview is that even though you have privacy settings "Facebook is watching you. Think of the like button ...as a pair of eyes" (Potter, 2015).  

                                                What about those Cookies?

In this weeks reading the Federal Trade Commission outlined consumer information regarding online tracking "how it works, how you can control it...and that the answer may be in the cookies" (Federal Trade Commission, 2016).  Cookies are stored by your web browser every time you visit a website and "by keeping track of you over time cookies can be used to customize  your browsing experience, or to deliver ads targeted to you" (Federal Trade Commission, 2016). Check out the link below to better understand how your information is tracked.

                                                                                       
                                                      (Ebay Australia, 2016)

https://www.youtube.com/hotonyourtrail

So now that you know what they are - what can you do about them?

Browsers have different ways you can limit or delete cookies and your security software can also assist in managing cookies. By deleting cookies and your past browsing history, "companies may not be able to associate you with past browsing history, however they may be able to track you in the future with a new cookie" (Federal Trade Commission, 2016). Also, if you block all cookies, your browsing experience may be limited and not as personalized.  (Federal Trade Commission, 2016). 

So what does the future hold?  What about virtual reality privacy risks ?  

"Imagine, virtual shopping with advertisements strategically popping up in this reality; advertisements that were chosen by marketers who already know everything about you and have used this knowledge to predict your shopping patterns. This personalization within the virtual experience alone could control the way users shop, mold user interests, detect user preferences, and convince users to buy products by making users think they need something" (Susanalli2017/Boston College, 2016). Check out this shopping experience:

                                                            (Reveal, 2013)                                                                           
                     

                                        https://www.youtube.com/VRshopping

This weeks discussion focus is about social media security and privacy and how to protect yourself.   What about companies? There is much to consider in respect to a brand.

1) Discuss your company's social media policy and if it doesn't have one, why it should?

2) Discuss how you have changed the way you look at privacy and some best practices to protect your online identity.

References

Ebay Australia. (2016, May 18). The World's First Virtual Reality Department Store - brought to you by eBay and Myer [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAuiXhJPnr8


Federal Trade Commission. (2016, June). Online Tracking | Consumer Information. Retrieved from https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0042-online-tracking

Potter, W. (2016, August 9). Why online privacy matters — and how to protect yours |. Retrieved from http://ideas.ted.com/why-online-privacy-matters-and-how-to-protect-yours/

Reveal. (2013, September 30). Hot on Your Trail: Privacy, Your Data, and Who Has Access to It[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqWuioPHhz0

Susanalli2017/Boston College. (2016, March 19). Virtual Reality… Privacy Risks??? | ISYS6621: Social Media for Managers. Retrieved from https://isys6621.com/2016/03/19/virtual-reality-privacy-risks/