by Akhilesh Mittal

Created on: March 17, 2009

Internet is a technological marvel that facilitates tasks and also provides a much needed break when required. We daily use internet for email, paying our bills online, online banking, online chat, reading news snippets, watching video, listening to music and even sharing of ideas (like I am using it currently for writing on Helium). Knowingly or unknowingly we often share information on internet that may raise privacy concerns. Sometimes information is extracted from our machines and published on internet as well which also raises a privacy threat.

What are these threats and Is there something that can be done to counter these threats? These threats are as serious as your identity threat in real life. Most of us don't ever give it a second thought because we often discount Internet as being the virtual world and never think twice that what happens in the virtual world may also be linked to the real world.

Privacy concerns may be related to,

(A) General Information

Name, Age, Sex, Location, Address. This information is readily accessible the minute you logon to internet. Every machine connected to internet has a unique IP address and the IP can be used to trace your exact whereabouts. Knwoingly also we often provide our name and information on websites from which it can be used by third party organizations. A lot of websites in their fine print talk about sharing our general information with others. How many of us have ever read the Terms of Service of a website?

(B) Financial Information

Information about your bank account, credit cards and any other monetary transaction would classify as financial information. It is essential that whenever we make an online transaction or use online banking, we are familiar with the website. If there is a breach in your financial information then this is as serious a risk as your identity theft.

Recently I made a purchase at proflowers.com, I assumed it to be a safe and reliable website to purchase flowers. At the end of the day when I looked at my online credit card transactions I realized there was a charge on my credit card that was not authorized by me. After due delligence I was able to figure out that during the check out process, I was signed up for an affiliate program called EASY SAVER and my credit card information was exchanged between the sites. All these happened without any express authorization from my end. I was successful in getting the unauthorized charges reversed but it did take a lot of time and effort from my end.

(C) Monitoring Internet Habits

What I do at my home is my personal matter, similarly what I do online should also be my personal matter. If you believe in it as much as I do then think twice the next twice you accept a cookie online. Also screen your machine regularly for any adwares or spywares. Knowingly or unknowingly the cookies, spywares and adwares may all be relaying information about your internet browsing to their parent sites.

Now that we know about these risks, what can be done to counter these risks.

(1) Be aware about the information that you are willingly share on the internet.

(2) It never hurts to doubly confirm that you are on the correct website when you are doing online banking.

(3) For online purchases some of the banks provide a one time use credit cards. If you can avail one, then nothing like it.

(4) Frequently run anti-spyware/adware/virus software on your machine.

Hopefully if you follow the above then you would have made an attempt from your end to ensure your online privacy.

Learn more about this author, Akhilesh Mittal.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.