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The term “Big Brother is watching” has long since become a harsh reality of the world. There is no doubt that internet surveillance has become nearly unavoidable in today’s hyperconnected world. Not only are there social media platforms tracking user behavior, but governments, ISPs, and surveillance agencies are collecting personal data for national security.
While it is true that surveillance to some extent has its benefits, it is also a gross negligence of the basic human right to privacy. Additionally it also raises serious concerns about civil liberties, civil liberties, and the ethical use of personal information. So if you are still slightly unaware of the concept, read this article to find out more about what internet surveillance is and how you can stay safe!
In layman’s terms, internet surveillance is the constant monitoring and logging of your online activities by a third party. This includes your emails, browser history, social media posts, and, at certain times, the DMs you share with friends and family.
Surveillance is often carried out by cybercriminals, governments, agencies, and even marketers to gather information for various uses. It is not only a gross invasion of your privacy but also a significant cyber threat and therefore a cause of concern.
The online monitoring and logging of netizens is a common activity that has been going on for decades. However, in recent times, this surveillance has increased tenfold, becoming a significant cause of concern. Here are all the ways netizens face online spying and logging of their data, and an insight into the third parties who conduct it:
In recent years, many government agencies, such as the US National Security Agency, have come to light for internet surveillance. However, the US agency is not the only one involved in such practices. Other countries, such as Russia, the UK, Canada, Australia, North Korea, China, etc., have come under the spotlight for spying on their citizens.
Governments often justify their internet surveillance practices for alleged security reasons. Citizens are kept under constant monitoring to collect data on potential criminals and to prevent terrorist attacks. However, despite the noble cause, these activities are a gross invasion of every netizen’s privacy. Therefore, these agencies use major tech companies such as Google, Facebook, and Yahoo to facilitate their access to private information.
Internet service providers or ISPs can track every website you connect to, which ultimately means they know everything about your browsing habits. The ISPs can also see every bit of information you share online unencrypted. Since your IP address is your virtual identity, most ISPs intercept and collect the data you send and receive through it.
Once your ISP has managed to collect ample amounts of data, it may sell it to various third parties for different purposes. Advertisers often buy this information to throw targeted ads at people. Apart from that, ISPs also engage in surveillance to practice bandwidth throttling. That is, if your ISP sees you using the internet for high-bandwidth activities, it may slow down your speeds intentionally. It may also subtly convince you to buy a pricier data plan.
It is no new information that major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing collect large amounts of user data. Not only do these platforms know your basic information, such as name and email address. Telephone number, etc, but they also keep track of your interests, search habits, and more.
Search engines often carry out this practice by using your IP address, connection request, cookies, and browser fingerprinting. These techniques help them create your virtual profiles, which are later sold to third-party advertisers and government agencies. While this practice is significantly legal, search engines like Google conduct illegal privacy violations despite facing heavy fines for it.
Information is a very important asset nowadays, and it is no news that websites and social media platforms collect it. Social media platforms have a ton of information available at hands such as phone numbers, name, email address, interests, etc. These platforms also know each user’s location, travelling habits, and even their face from the information they upload.
Websites collect every visitor’s information through browser fingerprinting and cookies. Both of these platforms, then, in turn, sell this information to developers, advertisers, or even government agencies. In return, these social media platforms and websites gain large sums of money.
Hackers are always coming up with new methods to steal every netizen’s personal information. Most netizens tend to ignore their cybersecurity and venture online without a VPN and proper malware protection. These users are the ones who often fall victim to hack attacks, phishing scams, spam emails, malware invasion and more.
Once a cyber criminal gathers several users’ personal information, they use it to carry out further attacks. Often, they might use that information to blackmail users and gain money. Other times, they may steal a user’s identity and plan real-life heists. Often, these cybercriminals sell a user’s personal data on the deep web in exchange for money or favours.
Internet surveillance occurs as soon as you connect to the internet. Therefore, it is impossible to be 100% anonymous online, as you might leave a digital trace on any website you visit. However, there are various ways that you can protect your private data and minimize online surveillance significantly:
When it comes to debating about online surveillance, many of us are clear on viewing it as a violation of our privacy. However, at times, we tend to give out our personal information without thinking twice about it. Some of the common practices that destroy our online privacy are:
If you manage to avoid these actions and maneuver over the internet a bit carefully, you can protect your online privacy and maintain security in various ways.
Apart from fixing your insecure online habits, there are also various steps that you can take to maximize your privacy. Some of these measures are easy, while others require some technical assistance. Nevertheless, these methods are important, and they help you remain secure in the long run:
While these methods are not 100% foolproof, they are a great help in making sure you remain safe and secure online.
Encryption is the act of scrambling data into an unreadable form so that it makes no sense to anyone who intercepts and tries to read it. The data is only readable after using the decryption key. Many users tend to enable their online security by using tools that provide end-to-end encryption, such as the following:
Using encrypted tools helps you maintain your privacy by securing your data and preventing surveillance.
We live in a world where the internet has become a necessity. Therefore, quitting it altogether is downright impossible. However, it is also impossible to completely evade internet surveillance. So if you want to secure your information and ensure online privacy and anonymity, follow some of the steps mentioned in this article.
What are the benefits of internet surveillance?
Internet surveillance helps detect cyber threats, prevent fraud, enhance national security, and monitor network activity to protect users and digital infrastructure.
What is the meaning of online surveillance?
Online surveillance refers to the monitoring and collection of internet activity, communications, and data to track behavior, ensure security, or enforce regulations.
Can individuals protect themselves from internet surveillance?
Users can reduce tracking by using VPNs, encrypted messaging, privacy-focused browsers, and strong security settings to safeguard personal data online.
How does internet surveillance affect privacy?
Internet surveillance can reduce online privacy by tracking user activities, collecting personal data, and creating digital profiles based on behavior.
