Online Privacy

Online Privacy: Definition

As sociologists, we're big on the idea that there are many 'selves' that each of us contains. For example, who we are at school probably isn't entirely the same as who we are on a night out with our friends or when we're having dinner with our grandparents.

Fig. 1 - Many Americans are concerned about the data that various companies and government organizations collect.

A significant factor in our various 'selves' is the context - for instance, whether we're in a public or a private setting. This is also related to other important concepts, such as the social contract.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology, "privacy is closely associated with individualism, because private space outside the public realm... [protects] the individual from social scrutiny and political surveillance" (Turner, 2006, p.473)¹.

Privacy in the Digital Sphere

However, the above explanation of privacy emerged from early sociology. Today, as we live our lives online, the distinction between 'public' and 'private' becomes blurred. Let's explore this further:

Sociological Perspectives of Technology and Internet Use

• Functionalists see the internet as a positive aspect of society. They suggest that technology facilitates the manifest function of enabling communication and the latent function of giving people a voice. While there isn't much that has been said from the functionalist perspective of online privacy, we can imagine that they would consider the upsides of surveillance practices. Potential benefits of limiting online privacy could include monitoring civilian behavior to enhance social control and cohesion.

• Conflict theorists, such as Marxists or feminists, believe online technologies threaten the free flow of information from powerful groups to the masses. They may see the lack of online privacy as a way for powerful groups to conduct surveillance and control the opinions and behaviors of the general population.

Online Privacy Issues

While it's hard to know exactly which data (and how much of it) is taken by various organizations, there are certain regimes of surveillance that are more transparent than others.

However, when we look closely at which types of data are collected and used by governments and companies, it exposes a much harsher truth than many were previously aware of. New technological innovations have made it much easier for businesses and government organizations to collect and store our private data.

The Issue of Cultural Lag

Before we explore the issues of online privacy in relation to data collection practices by government organizations and companies, it is important to understand the concept of cultural lag.

Issues surrounding censorship, privacy, and surveillance can all be seen as representations of cultural lag. This occurs because material culture is evolving at a much faster rate than nonmaterial culture. In other words, technology is developing much faster than the rules and norms that dictate how we should (and shouldn't) use it.

For example, in 1986, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act banned the surveillance of phone calls, except where there was permission to do so by the attorney general and a federal judge. However, the same privacy wasn't guaranteed for other forms of media communication, like fax and email.

Data Collection by the Government

Various government organizations have personal information about us that we are well aware of. The Census Bureau and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have information about our employment status, financial circumstances, health, address, family structure, ownership of assets (such as houses or cars), and much more.

Furthermore, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the USA Patriot Act was passed. This reduced the strictness of legal checks that had to be performed before law enforcement could conduct some form of surveillance.

Since then, government organizations such as the National Security Agency (NSA) have gained the legal authority to monitor people's mobile phones under the international surveillance authority. This includes data such as internet and app browsing, phone calls, text messages, emails, and social media activities.

Data Collection by Companies

American internet users - and to some extent, even the government - has little control over how companies can collect and use their data.

Businesses tend to collect and use consumer data as a part of their marketing strategy. This data can provide insights into how consumers navigate and experience particular products or services, such as social media platforms or e-commerce websites. This lets them tailor their product to meet the consumer's needs so that those same consumers are motivated to continue using it.

Several types of data are useful to businesses and third parties which use them for advertising. This includes:

1. Personal identification data, such as gender, age, IP address, Social Security information, bank statements, medical records, and your devices' ID/model numbers.

2. Behavioral data, including how you interact with certain advertisements, platform features, mobile applications, text messages, social media activity, purchase histories, and many more.

Online Privacy and Security

The Pew Research Center (2019)² explores the concept of online privacy and security, considering which types of digital data may be vulnerable to privacy breaches from companies, third parties or even criminals such as hackers.

If we consider meeting someone for the first time - perhaps a fellow employee or a new friend - we wouldn't offer them our bank statements, medical histories, or private text messages. This scenario helps us conceptualize the inherent risk to our security that comes with a lack of online privacy.

Data Harvesting

Data harvesting involves extracting online data, which is then analyzed and used to identify user trends and patterns.

Various social networks have suffered from data breaches. A prominent example is the Facebook data breach of 2021, where the personal data of 533 million users was posted to a hacking forum. The exposed data included full names, phone numbers, locations, and more.

Identity Theft

Identity theft has become much easier and more common with the rise of the digital age. This happens when someone accesses somebody's personal information, such as driver's license, tax numbers, or Social Security details, to impersonate them.

Online Oversharing

While many examples of online privacy breaches are carried out by companies or government organizations, it is also undeniable that we live in an era of oversharing.

It's common practice for people to share regular life updates through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and many more. We are all significantly more aware of the lives of people around us than we were 10 to 15 years ago.

Because of the habitual posting that most people participate in, some private details often get overlooked. For example, posting a picture of our home office set-up or a boarding pass when traveling can reveal sensitive information that we may not realize is visible to the public.

Regulating Online Privacy

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of Europe strictly requires data collection agencies and companies to ask permission before collecting and sharing consumers' data.

By contrast, there is no single law that governs all forms of online privacy in the United States. Instead, there is a collection of various federal and state laws that have been set up in an attempt to regulate the digital exchange of private information.

Some examples of U.S. data privacy laws are as follows:

• The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) sought to control government wiretapping. However, as we have read above, the US Patriot Act eventually legalized wiretapping without a warrant.

• The Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) limits data collection practices from children under the age of 13.

• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulates communication between citizens and health-related businesses like doctors, pharmacies, and insurance companies. This restricts the flow of health information. However, data such as that collected through a fitness tracker is not controlled - neither is data concerning citizens' COVID-19 vaccination status.

The Importance of Online Privacy

The importance of online privacy also becomes clearer when we understand the risks of a lack of online privacy. In line with the few issues we've identified above, many Americans are concerned about their data security and value its importance.

Fig. 2 - Many internet users feel they have little to no control over the amount of personal data that gets collected and analyzed.

Public Perception of Online Privacy

According to the Pew Research Center (2019)²:

• In terms of data collection by companies:

  • 81% of Americans feel that they have little to no control over the data collected.

  • 79% of Americans feel concerned about how companies use their data.

  • 81% of Americans feel that the risks of companies collecting their data outweigh the benefits.

• In terms of data collection by the government:

  • 84% of Americans feel that they have little to no control over the data that the government collects.

  • 64% of Americans feel concerned about how the government uses their data.

  • 66% of Americans feel that the risks of the government collecting their data outweigh the benefits.

These statistics show that Americans value online privacy. In essence, the importance of online privacy lies in the control it can give us over our personal information, belongings, assets, and identities.

Protecting Your Online Privacy

Many resources offer tips on how to protect your personal identity and online privacy. Examples of potentially effective measures include:

• reading privacy policies of the websites, platforms, and products that we use,

• offering the minimum amount of information when requested by organizations or online platforms,

• asking questions about why data is being collected and how it will be used,

• asking questions about whether your information will be sold to any third-party companies, and

• keeping track of your credit history.

Benefits of Online Privacy

The benefits of online privacy may seem quite obvious. Let's go over a few examples:

• It allows people to remain anonymous if they would like to be.

• It allows personal and sensitive information to remain private, making people less prone to risks like hacking and identity theft.

• In some ways, more online privacy might actually save you money! When companies can target advertisements to your particular interests and preferences, you may be more likely to see and purchase the products they are promoting.

• Another benefit of online privacy is that it can be linked to increased freedom of speech. For example, if users can remain anonymous, they may be more likely to contribute to online discussions on social media platforms or other types of forums.

• As users are provided higher levels of online privacy, they may also be more likely to use the internet to its fullest potential - for example, without the content restriction of censorship or algorithms.