Can we Maintain Privacy Online?

This blog is a project for Study Unit DGA3008, University of Malta

As social networks have become more popular in the western world, some developing countries still lack the connection to the online world of social networks. As an attempt to provide the same services to developing markets, Facebook introduced Free Basics; a limited free internet service. Although at first, this may seem a good way of connecting more people over the internet, it became more the case of a digital colony. In my opinion, the reason why this service was provided to people who had no prior interaction with social networks, is mere because the western world is already controlled to the maximum potential.

This may seem a bitter way of looking at this development. However, Facebook controls exactly what the people using the service can browse. Users can access a small amount of pre-selected websites and services. The services provided to these new users, all come from private companies situated in the United States. With this being said, the user becomes more of a passive consumer of western content. Free basics also restrict the language in which the service is offered. At the same time, if a user wants to access data that is not part of the offered plan, they are met with a pop-up that requests them to buy data in order to access that content.

The problem with all of this is connected to the way that the service is advertised. It is advertised as a way of realizing how beneficial paying for data to use the ‘full’ internet can be to improve lives. However, a lot of the users of Free Basics had no prior access to the internet. This leads the users into believing that what they are being offered are the essential tools needed and that they don’t need anything else. (Solon, 2017) These provided services, offer Facebook the opportunity to continue gathering data as it has done in the Western market.

As users of the internet and social networks, there are certain precautions that we can take to try and maintain some of our privacy while being online. The following is a list of things that can help to keep some privacy:

• Reading and Understanding Privacy Terms: While setting up new accounts on websites or social networking services, it is very important that the privacy terms are understood especially when it comes to what control that service will have on the user’s data.
• Features Offered by the Site: Prior to starting sharing messages and content, it is important to understand who will have access to whatever you are sharing.
• Adjusting the Privacy Settings: Every social networking platform gives the user the ability to adjust the privacy settings. Once an account is set up, it is very important that the user would check what the default privacy settings offered by the platform are and change them accordingly to what they want them to be.
• Personal Information: While setting up an account, some personal information would be required. Not everyone on the social network being used has to know what this information is. It is important that from the settings, users adjust the privacy of certain information so that they would be the only ones able to access that information.
• Account Information: Building onto the previous point, it is very important that only the required information is shared on these platforms. For example, workplaces or bank account details are not needed for the account to function properly so it is important to realize what necessary data is and what extra information is so that the extra information shared would be kept to a minimum.
• Friends: While having people follow you or sending you friend requests might be exciting, it is important to do a screening process while accepting these requests from people you don’t know.
• Location: It is important to turn off location services both from the platforms used as well as the location services provided from the device itself. This way, you will prevent the services you use to track every step you take.
• Posting Photos: Another important thing to keep in mind, is what photos and videos you share on social networks. While sharing a picture might seem innocent from the user’s side, once a picture is shared it is most likely to stay on the internet forever. A picture might give cybercriminals enough information to commit a crime. Another thing to keep in mind is that if a picture you share is stolen, it becomes impossible to know how that image is being used, especially if the sharing of the same picture is done through dark socials. (Data Privacy Manager, 2021)

Although in the recent past the internet has become more of a dark place, it does not mean that it is entirely a bad place. The internet still offers certain possibilities that no other man-made thing can offer. In conclusion, it is always important to keep in mind to stay safe online so that the internet becomes a tool that helps us in whatever we want to do. In the future, social networks might be required to start protecting the user’s privacy but until then, keeping up to date with what is happening is very important. And the internet is there to help us!

References

Data Privacy Manager. (2021). How to Protect Your Privacy on Social Media?. Retrieved 6 June, 2021, from https://dataprivacymanager.net/how-to-protect-your-privacy-on-social-media/

Solon, O. (2017). ‘It’s digital colonialism’: how Facebook’s free internet service has failed its users. Retrieved 6 June, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/27/facebook-free-basics-developing-markets