This reading “Online Privacy” talked about how online information is being leaked out and many of us are unaware of it. Many of us has been experienced these kinds of problems. For example when we buy some stuff online we use our credit card information and sometime we proceed to checking without reading the policy. This happened to me once, I used my credit card to buy something online and somehow someone got my credit card information and used it for their expense. When I got bill I was shocked, so I complained Credit Card Company and tell them to solve my issue. Even though they cleared everything, I found myself very insecure using my card information online again.
In this reading, Berin Szoka, director of the Center for Internet Freedom, says, user education is important part of this solution. We all should have information about what is going on online. He also adds, “If you really are very concerned about your privacy online, you have a very simple tool. You can go into your browser and use the basic cookie controls to opt out of browsing altogether, or site by site. You can create your own white lists or black lists. I would like to see those tools become much more powerful.” I found this information very useful. While reading, one question arose in my mind, is there any way we can stop these kinds of problems and share our information online without feeling insecure?
I’m always skeptical about using social media websites. My own privacy is not really guaranteed. I may prevent other users from viewing my profile but the real power belongs to the creators of these websites. As for credit cards, I don’t trust them. Hidden fees, annual rates, whatever these creditors can create to make more money. Plus, people steal any type of information from others every day. Now, identity theft is one of the top committed crimes in America. For online privacy, it can be controlled by us so the term you may be looking for of that simple tool is “going incognito”. For you very last question, I do not believe that there is a secure way to prevent these kinds of problems.