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Online Privacy

Introduction

Even though privacy has become a matter of concern in the past recent years, many

people are yet to understand it fully. Human beings value the protection and privacy of their

personal lives. No one is comfortable with having confidential matters about them being in the

public eye. The 21st century marked the commencement of big data and the advancement of

information technology, together with the development of high-tech organizations. The paper

seeks to look at online privacy and how it is related to information technology. Advances in

information technology today affect privacy where the amount of control over personal data is

limited, which in turn, results in adverse consequences.

Privacy and Private Information

Privacy is perceived as an essential right since it is an essential requirement for other

rights search as personal autonomy and freedom Saeri et al. feels that respecting the privacy of

others is a duty that does not allow room for any exceptions (3). Personal information is one that

is connected to an individual person. There are various categories of private information that

include the body’s privacy, personal communication, personal information, and information

regarding the possessions that one has.

The Value of Privacy

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The latest technologies almost go hand in hand with privacy from biometrics, genetics to

smartphones, social media, big data, and social media. Fefer proves that there are two receptions

that hold a vast range of technology, together with the implication on personal and private

information (2). The first reception is that all the data of people are in a way held by the

Information Technology world that shows that people have no privacy in the technology world

where the digital era has taken control. It shows that there is no substitute method for the

protection of privacy and getting over it. The last reception carries that one’s privacy and

personal information is imperative than ever. Privacy is, therefore, a critical aspect to the society

as it helps in the formation of relationships that allow people to know part of themselves to

friends and family while keeping from the rest of the world.

Moral Ethics and Reasons for the Protection of Personal Data

Security, privacy, and trust are all interlinked to form ethics and laws. The measure of

security and privacy are different with each person and depend on diverse factors. For instance,

in the health sector, privacy may have ethical values that vary when compared to other sectors,

like finances and banking. Saeri et al. insist that trust is dependent on privacy security and

safeguarding (18). Ethics grand people the measure of the law, where they offer individuals to

trade different data fairly. Breach in privacy may result in the dilution of measures of privacy

and loose of trust, which is an implication defilement of the ethical issues and degradation to the

law. Policies and law regulations for the protection of data are expected to be economically

good, efficient, and ethical. They should also be accepted by all people by all means and basis.

Data privacy protection is critical and complex in the world of today with a great leap forward.

The implication of Technology on Online Privacy

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Barth insists that the changes in technology have altered the digital universe and are now

on the brisk of taking over individuals’ privacy (58). As the access to information and

connectivity increases, the threats to the breach of personal data increases. With every day that

passes, social media plays an imperative role and is an integral part of the activities that people

perform in their daily lives. Social media privacy has, therefore, become more critical than ever.

Hacking on social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram may share valuable

information. Cyberbullying and stalking have become a threat, and social media is making it

easy to carry it out. Fefer says that the use of the by the public generates vast amounts of data

during online surfing, which provides the insight of the user and, apart from this, offer

voluminous statistical data (13). Big data affects only online users, even though depending on the

data that is shared with other third-parties, it may affect the online users totally on various basis.

Information technology affects surveillance tasks. ICT techniques are used in the digital

domain normally. Social media, together with other online systems, are used to obtain large sums

of information about other people. Barth et al. say that machine learning techniques and data are

used to create estimate copies of individual users that can be used (57). The use of good

encryption methods in communication systems that make it harder to collect effective

surveillance information, which result in additional calls.

How Technology Solves Privacy Concerns

Information technology provides design methods that concentrate on privacy, which has

principle guidelines for the preservation of the security of the users. The privacy by design

method has rendered online security a centered stage in all phases from the first design to the

final product. Also, technology provides various tools for users to get privacy in some form.
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Technology offers various that allows users to share and browse content through unspecified

numbers and means.

Cryptography is a method that has been used for the protection of data for a long time.

Techniques of modern cryptography like homomorphic encryption are widely used today as

probable methods for the protection of data. Feng et al., the technique undertakes calculation on

information that has been initially encrypted without having to decrypt it (45). The online

privacy of organizations is protected by homomorphic encryption, where it offers a secure

atmosphere for data and privacy. Lastly, technology has a means of authorizing and

authenticating groups or individuals to have access to their systems and accounts in an

organization through the network. Feng et al. present that ethics and policies in identity

management play a critical role in the technology world to reduce misuse and fraud (47). The

management of identity in an organization plays a vital role in the breach of data and security

plans since many organizations offer access to the workers beyond their actual use of the system.

Conclusion

Online privacy is critical for the preservation of human respect, and it plays an imperative

role in society when it comes to the maintenance of relationships that are stepping stones of a

well-functioning and happy society. If internet privacy was not a thing, affectionate and social

associations among individuals would take downside, and there would be many differences.

Once one’s personal data is exposed and collected, it cannot be undone. With the increase in

processing power and capabilities in technologies that maintain a close watch on every move,

recording, and processing of the data details of our lives to vastly growing data. There is,

therefore, a lot of potential in online privacy, and serious considerations should be made on how

society addresses the loopholes by technology.

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Works Cited

Barth, Susanne, et al. "Putting the privacy paradox to the test: Online privacy and security

behaviors among users with technical knowledge, privacy awareness, and financial

resources." Telematics and informatics 41 (2019): 55-69.

Fefer, Rachel F. "Data Flows, Online Privacy, and Trade Policy." CRS Report 45584 (2019).

Feng, Yang, and Quan Xie. "Privacy Concerns, Perceived Intrusiveness, and Privacy Controls:

An Analysis of Virtual Try-On Apps." Journal of Interactive Advertising 19.1 (2019):

43-57.

Saeri, Alexander K., et al. "Predicting Facebook Users' Online Privacy Protection: Risk, Trust,

Norm Focus Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behavior." (2019).