Digital Privacy Invasions and Solutions

Digital Privacy is one of the major subjects these days when you are connected with e-World. If we just focus in Pakistan, innocent or non-technical people are mostly convicted by the privacy snares.

If you see in far-reaching panorama; Privacy invasion has limitless precincts and key solution from horde of solutions is “To Educate Privacy Protection” or  “To shrink the privacy invasion traps to minimum.”

After cavernous research, following could be privacy eliciting events (but not limited to) which anyone must avoid and keep shield protected with such privacy invasions.

Some Common Digital Privacy Invasions:

• Website Surfing / Cookies :

Websites are phenomenal cradle of collecting information and information may vary from

Hardware, Software and lot of other information like which Websites you visited and list goes on.

Cookies are great source of information about different pools of information. To keep it simple Cookies is a text file placed by a visited website on visitor computer and that text file can be used to track different information at times.

Solution for Safe Web Surfing: Under windows operating system, user can develop separate account for using internet with minimum administrative rights. This will reduce chances of being accessed by any anonymous entity.

Solution for Avoiding Cookies: There are several methods for avoiding cookies; common methods include disabling it from Internet Explorer by accessing internet options tab. If some website does not allow you to visit the  website without cookies, simply visit them by allowing cookies and delete right after leaving that website. There are also different third party software’s available for managing cookies.

• Emails:

Emails have its own pros and cons just like web browsing  as official and Personal emails are to be considered as the most convenient ways of sending and receiving official and personal information with enclosed files.

Well, with that people have sorted or discovered different ways to have scams. Its range varies and we cannot limit them into some scam book, because it’s been observed these scams have high innovation rate. Like if you will not reply to some email with  “Money Account Transfer Email as a coincidence of your name matching” , you may get email about “You have won uncounted bucks for no reason” or “You May Got a Job without applying there” all without any context.

Most of the people treat it as a God send opportunity without ever bothering to ponder over the consequences. They feel it as sheer stroke of luck what they might be waiting for. But unfortunately, they don’t know about the actual reality what’s happening with them?

Solution to avoid Email invasions:

• Never reply to unknown emails.
• Data attach emails must be deleted from sent items and drafts.
• Have a clean email address; never become part of forward lists and unknown email groups as they are more vulnerable for spammers.
• Don’t believe on “All of Sudden Emails” like lottery winning, got a Job, Money Transfer etc., these emails are nothing but to capture you in a scam.
• Emails with hyperlinks like verifying emails, that have your email address embedded in a link or hidden please don’t click, as they also fall into the same category. Please be informed that it may also come from your known senders.
• Never use Office Emails for sending personal data. As these emails are accessible by your I.T department.

• Exposing your Computer or Laptop

One of the unfortunate vulnerability that may occur is, when you send your computer or laptop for repairing or installations with your personal data like pictures, account details, savedemails and list goes on! On the other side, it may also be vulnerable if some home services you have received for repairing and installations.

Solution to avoid such incident:

• The best way to send your computer or laptop without hard drive. Otherwise call the technician at your home. Please be informed deleting data is not a complete solution, as data may be recovered by recovery software’s.
• Completely monitor the activity performed during repairing while at home or any other place.
• Get yourself trained for basic troubleshoots like installing windows, driver’s installation, etc. or refer to How-to guides on the internet. This will not only help you in knowing your computer more but also keep you safe.

Some Random Tips:

• Always use “Credit Cards” and “give sensitive information” on trusted and encrypted websites. This you can do easily by checking the “lock”present on your browser for protecting your information , try to read security bit like 128 bit security most commonly used.
• Keep yourself private even from “Search Engines” as they may also log files of your searches and keep history of it like your computer does.
• It’s always best to shred your personal documents on computer machine as well.
• Do not let  your computer system idle while connected with internet. It may be vulnerable.

Conclusion:

Undoubtedly, these solutions are not end of the list for securing yourself from any privacy invasion. So dig out more solutions and try to have “Antiviruses and Internet Security software’s installed” and keep them updated with latest definitions all the time. As Negativity has always unstoppable innovation and key to avoid any unfortunate is to keep yourself informed by negatives around you.

If you have any other information with solution, please share in comments.