Safeguarding Your Data in the Age of Digital Surveillance

In an earlier post, we discussed the constant and growing grasp of the surveillance system, where we subconsciously exchange data with numerous third-party marketers. “More than 1,000 apps have location-sharing capabilities, according to a 2018 report from mobile analysis firm Mighty Signal, including 1,200 in the Google Android store and 200 on Apple iOS” (Paul, 2016). Since we know how we contribute to losing our privacy in many ways, we will dig into more details to discuss how we can safeguard ourselves.

Turn your location tracking off: Go to your phone’s settings option and see if your location tracking is on. Turn it off to reduce unwanted tracking. Apps while downloading: Most of the apps require access to your location info while downloading. But if that is not central to your app users, don’t turn on your location access for that particular app. For example, if you are downloading an app for photo editing or video creation, that app should not require location settings info, but an app for weather
forecasting will. Also, it’s always better not to download any apps whimsically unless you
require or know well about the purpose of those apps. Because many of the apps can
automatically get installed on your phone by not asking you to access information. As a result, your information can go public and trigger unwanted targeted marketing. So,

• Don’t share your location unless the app is location focused
• Don’t download unwanted apps unless you need
• Don’t keep unwanted apps on your mobile device (Always check on your apps!)
• Sharing location via online platforms: Many people share their online data via social media. But as we have discussed before, hackers are always there to detect your online activity.

So, limiting location sharing online can put you at risk for potential hacking.
Blocking online tracking: According to Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information,
“Plugins for blocking online browsing can prevent companies from using cookies or
fingerprinting to track consumers’ internet behavior.” Using Plugins to control your browsing and limit online tracking is safe.
Don’t connect to public Wi-Fi: It’s effortless to connect through public Wi-Fi in a digital age. But here is the Alert! Don’t do it! Even if you are a person who always prefers this, don’t do it from now on. While using public Wi-Fi, you are connecting to thousands of eyes that can access your data. It’s just like opening yourself to numerous viruses.

Use a VPN: When you use a VPN service, you are not only encrypting the data but also choosing not to share your private data with a third party. When anyone requests a website, VPN sends data through a secured tunnel using the server’s IP address which masks your real IP
address.
References:
Paul Kauri. (2018, Dec 16). Your apps are tracking you — here’s how to stop them. Retrieved
from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/your-apps-are-tracking-you-heres-how-to-stop-them-
2018-12-11
Online Tracking. (2016, June). Retrieved August 17, 2020, from
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0042-online-tracking