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QOTW: How seriously do you take online privacy?

by Parm Mann on 28 February 2014, 16:30

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Internet privacy - does such a thing still exist? That's a question all of its own, but for this week's debate we're assuming it does and we're asking: how seriously do you take your online privacy and that of your family's?

Following recent revelations in the press, some of us may well be looking at our webcams and online profiles with a whole new sense of caution. Yet, a recent survey sponsored by Microsoft in the United States, Belgium, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, found that up to 23 per cent of users admitted to clicking 'accept' before reading privacy terms. Furthermore, almost half of all participants in the US were found willing to trade privacy for ease of use with activities such as online shopping.

It's a hot topic and one that won't be going away anytime soon, so let's hear your thoughts. How seriously do you take online privacy? Are you concerned by giant corporations gathering data? Do you actively try to prevent it from happening? Or you do simply accept that sharing your personal data is the price you pay for living in a modern world?

As always, feel free to join the discussion using the comments facility below.



HEXUS Forums :: 43 Comments

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How seriously do you take online privacy? Are you concerned by giant corporations gathering data? Do you actively try to prevent it from happening? Or you do simply accept that sharing your personal data is the price you pay for living in a modern world?
Seriously enough that I suspect lots here would regard it as paranoid.

Do I read T&Cs? Yes. And regularly decline to provide personal info, or place orders, as a result.

Social media sites, like FB, Twitrer, etc? No way.

Smartphone? No.

Tablet? Yes, but …. NO personal info at all on it. None whatever. And GPS turned off. And I'm VERY selective about installed apps, and DO check what permissions are required.

Store Reward Cards? No. I'm not selling by buying habits to stores?

Online purchases? Not very often.

Credit /Debit card? Yes, but haven't used either for weeks or months. Cash rules, and keeps nosy companies out of my face.

Multiple bank accounts? Yes. No one bank gets a complete picture.

Foreign bank account? Yes, but usage is nominal.

Telephone numbers? Few have my landline, and even fewer my mobile. I'm VERY selective about giving that out. Even my bank have to write to me.

Junk mail opt-outs? Hell yes, for many years.

Opred out from medical data sharing? Oh yes. Opted out several years ago from the last lot, and again recently from care.data, and on BOTH occasions visited the Practice Manager at my GP to make my views crystal clear, and hand-delivered explicit written instructions on the point at the same time. Whatever the circumstances, including perceived medical emergencies, NO data is to be shared about me without my WRITTEN permission where I have ANY right to block it. That includes sharing with hospitals. And I do that in full knowledge of the risks involved.

And so on.

That's how seriously I take my privacy.

Can I entirely protect my privacy? No. But I can go a long way towards it, and I go as far as seems reasonable to me. YMMV, of course.

One thing is certain. Once you've lost control of data, you've lost it forever. So, if you're going to start limiting what you let out, the sooner you start, the less will be out there.

Oh, and periodically, I change telephone supplier and mobile phone carrier, or phone, in order to change number.

And I have one mobile phone the number of which I do give out when I need to, like to government. Good luck finding it turned on, though. ;)
My credit card number is 1234 5678 8765 4321, the expiry is 01/02/03 and the CVV thing is 258.
Please send me the promised Bank Of Noddiland cheque for $86,000,000USD and I shall happily help you launder it in good faith…
Think that it's a bit of an oxymoron asking about “online privacy” - take the view that it's a trade-off, the more “online” you are, the less “privacy” you have.

With one or two exceptions, forum details I try and keep skimpy, and I try and use privacy/security enhancements (ABP, NoScript, etc) on browsers when possible. Downside is that I've got an Android smartphone and do online shopping, plus have a couple of loyalty cards. To me at least, those trade offs of privacy v's ease of use are just acceptable.

I do some Twitter (not much) and similarly the odd Google+ post. The rest of those “social” media sites have zero interest for me - in fact I wish companies etc would stop keep insisting that I be on Facebook “for a better experience”.

I AM concerned about the amount of information that various big companies have, but figure that's the price of “doing business” these days. I realise that there's probably a lot more I could do - e.g. anonymous routing etc, strip out all non-essential forum membership info - but I'm not that paranoid … yet!
To be honest do it properly like Saracen or just don't bother. I don't take privacy seriously at all, and any notion that you actually have privacy is a fallacy as far as I'm concerned, you can limit the effect but never eradicate it. CCTV is a prime example - walk down the street and you're already being monitored.

Privacy in today's society is a distant memory and fighting it is ultimately futile. It's not an issue I'm willing to waste my life worrying about.
I'm serious enough that I won't go into details about any of it in an online forum !