Nothing to Hide

 The issue of online privacy is an increasingly salient concern in a world which is shifting more and more of its critical functions onto the internet. The tracking of internet users by governments, private companies and other users is cause for major concern. When queried about online privacy, many internet users will state that they, “have nothing to hide” and are largely unconcerned about civil liberties in the digital world.

This view, is problematic for many users, even those who truly do not have any nefarious or embarrassing internet traffic associated with their online identities. Online privacy is important for all internet users for a variety of reasons. The most prominent of which include the potential to match users to their personal information, freedom from unlawful surveillance, the security of personal information, freedom from interference by government agencies and private firms and the control of personal data. Free access to every portion of the internet is also at stake in the struggle between privacy and security online. 

Posting a picture of friends out on the town is viewed by most users as an innocuous act; however, this seemingly harmless action could have far reaching consequences if online privacy is not protected. Third parties could use the location information provided to match credit card information obtained from the location of the people in the photo. The people in the photo may be profiled, targeted by advertisements or placed on watch lists, if the photo was take at a place deemed suspicious by government agencies.  

The examples listed above may be extreme, but they illustrate some of the potential risks associated with failing to regulate access to user’s information on the internet. I think that online privacy is an issue which must be scrutinized and acted upon.

Regulating the internet is challenging for many reasons; however, I feel that through international bodies and with the cooperation of key firms tangible progress which protects the best interests of users is possible. I think that an “Internet Bill of Rights”, which outlines the basic rights and responsibilities of users would be an excellent way to thwart many of the lingering issues associated with internet use, including privacy. There are huge obstacles to this type of action, but I feel that eventually, such initiative must be undertaken to secure the internet as a safe, productive and profitable space.