Blog Post #2- Our Privacy Online

Online security is a topic that should be talked about much more often and becomes more of a concern each and every day. Most people see articles about cyber threats and online security everyday, but simply ignore it thinking it does not affect them. The truth is that we should all be vigilant about our online presence and how we interact with the technology around us every single day.

There are a lot of different threats when it comes to being online, almost too many to even want to think about. However, there are situations that are more likely to affect everyday people. For example, 'revenge porn' is a very serious threat for people my age. Young adults and teens alike tend to send explicit images to significant others frequently. I have too many friends that have been victims of revenge porn, where a boyfriend or girlfriend thought it was funny to share private images to everyone in the school. In the case of surveillance on our personal devices, I have family members that have been victims of fraud or identity theft because of information stolen from their device using malware or some other type of infiltration into their device.

As a citizen, you should want the government to take steps to stop these threats against us. Technology has become a part of everyday life for everyone and there should be laws to protect us while using it. Laws that punish the perpetrators of revenge porn, laws that stop surveillance on devices across the country, and laws that protect our basic privacy. In the meantime, we have to protect ourselves and fortunately there are a few ways to do so. Christopher Soghoian tells us that using encrypted services such as WhatsApp or Apple's Facetime is a good way to help protect against unwanted surveillance. Catherine Crump says that it is sometimes best to turn off your mobile devices for the night instead of leaving them powered on overnight. It is also a good rule of thumb to not post or share anything that you are not okay with everyone seeing. Even if you post to a private social media account or an account that does not appear to be you, everything can be traced back to you. If you're connected, you should be careful.