On Thursday, January 30th we discussed if privacy was possible in this connected age and agreed it wasn’t unless you live in complete isolation without any contact with the outside world.
January 28th was Data Privacy Day . The article linked to below gives some hints on how to protect your privacy online https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/data-privacy-day-4-ways-to-protect-your-info-online
These include –
- Decline “third party cookies” – When you visit a website it puts small text files called cookies are on your device. These let websites remember you, your logins, shopping carts and more. In addition to the functional cookies there are “Third party cookies” which give your consent to share or sell your data (often via intermediaries called Data Brokers) to interested pàrties such as advertisers.
- Make your social media profiles private this ensures that only people you want can know things like your travel plans, who you’re spending time with, and when you might be out of the house.
- Use a throwaway e-mail account: Use this for signing up to discounts, shopping websites and apps online. That way, it will capture all the junk mail. Don’t use it for personal messages.
Your new car is also a snooper on your privacy. Modern cars are connected to the internet so they can send information back to the manufacturer. This information can be very detailed including where you parked, for how long, where you filled up, when you turned the engine on and off, effectively profiling your driving habits. Recently data from around 800,000 E-Cars was mistakenly posted on the Internet for all to see. It was there for several months! https://www.spiegel.de/international/business/we-know-where-you-parked-massive-data-breach-at-vw-raises-questions-about-vehicle-privacy-a-4b1cb926-2edb-42ea-92fb-5000cd378fc5
The apps you use on your phone or PC are snooping on you: There’s been a lot of talk about the new, Chinese AI tool “DeepSeek” . Which has shaken ChatGPT and Copilot to the core. https://www.deepseek.com
The DeepSeek AI chatbot is free, open source, and very clear about its privacy policy which is given in great detail: https://chat.deepseek.com/downloads/DeepSeek%20Privacy%20Policy.html It lists the vast amount of information it collects: Information you provide, automatically collected information, Information from other sources (advertisers etc) , what they do with the information, how they share it, your rights and your choices. Note: Every time you ask DeepSeek a question, you are revealing something about yourself (the same goes for ChatGPT and Co-pilot of course.)
It’s important to remember that WiFi and BluTooth connections can be hacked to steal personal data. Many people leave BluTooth on to connect to their car, hearing aids, fitness device etc. Bad guys can “spoof” these connections and steal data. So its best to turn BluTooth off if you’re not using it. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/how-protect-yourself-online
Your Smart TV is probably snooping on you! They use a technology called ACR which is “built into smart TVs to identify and collect information about content being played. It gathers data such as viewing history, location, and user pathways, which can then be sold to third parties, such as advertisers, to assist them develop audience targets. Third parties, such as streaming services, can also use it to offer direct content recommendations to users” https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/nov/smart-tv-tracking-raises-privacy-concerns You can opt out, but it may be difficult to find the setting hidden away deep in the TV settings menu!
Hackers are hacking the websites of legitimate service providers and planting malware in them. In this case, VPN software sold by a Korean company was hijacked by Chinese hackers who infected it with malware: https://www.pcmag.com/news/chinese-hackers-hijack-vpns-website-to-spread-malware. Thus software designed to protect your privacy may actually be doing the opposite!
No-where is private or safe. We hear of data breaches daily. We’ve just got to get used to it. There’s no such thing as privacy these days, though we can take measures to minimise intrusion!
Chris Betterton-Jones – Knowledge Junkie