Private Internet – myth or reality? Today there is a lot of debate on this topic. We have gained access to all the resources of the world, but at the same time, we daily inform unknown people, websites and trackers about our own lives and preferences. Is it possible to protect personal space online? Let’s talk about it in the article.
Private Browsers
Popular browsers have a privacy mode. So, by choosing “incognito” in Google Chrome, users can be sure that the browser does not record visited online pages and downloaded files. A private mode in Internet Explorer and Safari does not save temporary files (such as cookies), search history, and data entered in forms on websites. And Mozilla, in addition to the functions inherent in the browsers already described, also protects against surveillance. Users can hide data about their digital habits and preferences by enabling private mode.
However, the privacy mode cannot protect users from any kind of tracking. Your online activity will still be tracked by firewalls, routers, and proxy servers. For example, if you visited online bookmakers to discover sports betting odds your local ISP will certainly see your activity. In addition, your IP address is still visible to third parties on the network, which means that there is a risk of becoming a victim of an IP exploitation cyber attack.
What do Users Think About Online Privacy?
In 2019, 79% of US residents believed that firms that collect personal data will not be able to protect them. The reason for the concern is the frequent leaks of information caused by hacker attacks on businesses. In addition, users were afraid that companies could sell their personal data. But let’s not blame only commercial organisations. The same study found that 38% of users didn’t know how to secure data. And 46% said they didn’t know how to keep important information private online.
Has the situation changed since then? As of 2022, 18% of countries have not yet implemented data protection standards. But if we analyse the business infrastructure, there are improvements. To date, 47% of organisations have updated their user cookie policy. And 80% of firms have made significant changes to their privacy policies. This suggests that there have been positive changes in the field of personal data protection.
Private Search Engines
Any search engine collects information about users. An automatic global web search process known as spidering combines data from Internet pages into servers. These content collection programs are constantly processing huge amounts of data. This is why the changes you make to the site are reflected in the results of the search networks quite quickly.
At the same time, the search engine can easily declassify the personal data of users, namely, credit rating, medical history, and employment information. To enable this process, the provider collects and stores user data and then adds this information to digital profiles.
