INTERNET PRIVACY AND COOKIES: WHAT WE SHOULD ALL KNOW
Channel: R E A
Date: 30/07/2018

Should we be afraid of the internet's cookies? What does internet privacy mean? The internet has become like our diary and best friend. We spend a lot of time online, doing all sorts of things we wouldn’t do or tell a random person on the street, thinking that our information is safe. But is it? How safe can it be if I take a picture of the Eiffel Tower and right after Google recommends me some restaurants in this area? How is this online privacy? Does internet privacy even exist and to what extent? What are internet cookies and why they are not as cute as they sound? How are they violating our privacy?

The internet privacy is a fundamental human right and according to that, we should be the ones who decide where our data goes and who has access to it. But sadly, once online, we have less rights than we should.

To access anything online nowadays, you have to accept cookies. A cookie is a small piece of data, sent from a website to a computer. Internet cookies, in general, are harmless, they remember our passwords and offer us a perfect advertisement. 

But there are cookies called third-party cookies that are completely against any privacy rights. These internet cookies track us and use our information without our consent. They are violating our privacy and can not just use our information, but they can also give it or sell it to other companies.
The one who has information has power and that is why internet privacy matters. Because in order to manipulate somebody, you have to know him. Otherwise, it doesn’t work. And our online behavior gives away a lot of our habits and personality. These data are a good way to compel us to do different things from buying to voting.

Internet privacy is not only about cookies. We live in a pretty liberal society (since you can watch this video), but what if our government changes? They can choose to use the information they have on us to hurt us or control us.

This is why protection from tracking online matters. We don’t want to be easy targets, we want to be safe on the internet. There are browsers and search engines out there that do not track us. We are using passwords and we should use them wisely. We have to accept cookies for certain websites to work, but we can always delete them.


And, of course, subscribe, I guess… :)

GET IN TOUCH WITH ME, I WOULD LOVE THAT!
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ReaKarizz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReaKariz
e-mail: rea.kariz@gmail.com


SOURCES:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/07/the-great-british-brexit-robbery-hijacked-democracy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_privacy
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/10380/information-privacy
https://www.laquadrature.net/en/Privacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSlowAhvUk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/23/cambridge-analytica-misled-mps-over-work-for-leave-eu-says-ex-director-brittany-kaiser
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/cambridge-analytica-bragged-we-have-vast-data-for-brexit-vote-a3797441.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Analytica_data_scandal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Protection_Directive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/reform/rules-business-and-organisations/dealing-citizens/do-we-always-have-delete-personal-data-if-person-asks_en
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/reform/rights-citizens/my-rights/can-i-ask-company-delete-my-personal-data_en