Who’s Watching? - Wk 3

Do you know who is watching you? Do you know how to stop someone from watching you? Do you know how to set up an end-to-end encryption for your server on your own A.I. home assistant. For everyone one you don’t know someone does. For everyone you do know, someone else doesn't. When it comes to technology-more specifically the privacy that comes, or doesn’t, with the latest new tech- there are many people who are clueless to something. In a digital age where you store your entire life online or via cloud, it’s important to know how to protect it. For many the internet beyond its google searching is a scary space. As mentioned in the Understanding Privacy in the Digital Age - Foreign Policy Association on YouTube.

“ Why don’t we just shut it all down?!
- The internet is a place for
terrorism and counter terrorism
information.”
📺 Watch here: Understanding Privacy in the Digital Age – Foreign Policy Association: YouTube

No we aren't expecting Zayne in 4th grade or Patrish in rural Poland to know a thing or two about digital counter terrorism. We do want people to know the basics at minimum.

The writings solve the problem! (2023)
A recent global study titled “A World Full of Privacy and Security (Mis)Conceptions?” by Herbert et al. (2023) found that digital privacy misunderstandings are widespread across the globe.
Misconceptions like:


VPNs = Total Anonymity: Many think VPNs make you “invisible” online, but VPNs can still log data or be compromised.

End-to-End Encryption: People often don’t understand what this actually protects. It prevents others from reading your messages in transit, but not necessarily on the device.

Wi-Fi Safety: Some think using any password-protected Wi-Fi is safe, even if it’s public, which leaves them vulnerable.

Antivirus = Total Protection: Users over-rely on antivirus software without understanding the need for good habits.

(Source: Herbert, J., Prabhakaran, V., De Luca, A., & Redmiles, E. M., 2023, https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3544548.3581410)


Truth be told!
In a digital age when it comes to safety of work or information knowing your settings is important. The last time there was a big boom in the digital privacy conversations was when TikTok was on getting banned. It seemed like everyone and their grandmas too knew the secret to solving this tragedy.
Unbeknownst to many there would be a trend of people deleting TikTok off of peoples phone once the app was banned. Preventing people from downloading it again. All that talk about digital privacy and you got hacked face to face.


So in these times of uncertainty and confusion we should at least understand how to protect ourselves on our most used commodity. We are aware not everyone is on the same page whether it location, culturally, or even age. The goal is to meet you where you are and go from there.

As we step close and closer to a world of digital dominance we need to look at the root of our decision to change and explore branches of security and understanding. No matter the place we should aim to understand and apply.



📚 References

Herbert, J., Prabhakaran, V., De Luca, A., & Redmiles, E. M. (2023). A World Full of Privacy and Security (Mis)Conceptions? ACM. https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3544548.3581410
Foreign Policy Association. (2020). Understanding Privacy in the Digital Age. YouTube

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