A Reminder About Privacy

I’m a pretty paranoid person. OK, maybe I’m not as paranoid as some people, but I’ve randomized passwords generated for most of the accounts I have, two-factor authentication on every account I can have it on, have numerous privacy extensions enabled on my computer, use Firefox and DuckDuckGo, and get the latest security update whenever one is available.

Sometimes people look at my screen and see the browser or search engine I’m using. Observing the non-Google color scheme or the peculiar orange icon near the bottom of my screen, for some reason they feel the need — no, the impulse; no, the instinct — to ask why I’m not using Google or Firefox and sneer when I tell them that I just want to protect my privacy.

With all the privacy outrage over Internet tracking and targeted advertising, it’s surprising how some people just don’t seem to take the extra step to protect their privacy. I thought that maybe it’s time to lay out the misconceptions about privacy and address its vitality. Then, I’m hoping to outline some basic steps to maintain your privacy on the Internet.

I think the main issue with Internet privacy stems from a tension between two elements: security and convenience. Security merely refers to the ability for one to protect sensitive information about themselves. Convenience refers to the ability to accomplish tasks with little overhead or user effort.

The main problem users seem to have with maintaining privacy is that they believe that it will sacrifice substantial amounts of convenience. While maintaining security may deduct the benefits of convenience, that’s only in extremely hazardous instances, e.g, the government is tracking you. However, saying this, I do concede that security inevitably causes overhead. If you’re using a VPN or TOR then the process of encryption and the congestion of the network could potentially cause a huge slowdown. In fact, any process involving encryption or hashing increases latency. However, in many cases hashing and encryption algorithms are fast enough to maintain security. Public key cryptography and checksum algorithms are both used everyday for maintaining security while accessing anything over the Internet.

So while many IoT advocates and marketers claim that these privacy features only make things inconvenient, they’re merely ignoring the fact that many Internet-enabled processes can be done securely and efficiently. Indeed, everything from your bank account to E-commerce is only possible because these transactions can be done securely. Without the development of modern crytography and safe protocols, these sensitive exchanges would be too dangerous to perform.

Another thing that some people like to say is that they trust the companies that have their personal data. In fact, some of these people go to the extent of saying that they want these companies to possess their data so they can streamline their lives. They want humanity to “embrace the future” or some BS like that. These ‘data buffs’ tend to have an enthusiastic attitude towards Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

For one minute, let’s consider the following: imagine that there was a tech company that collected your sensitive data with innocent intentions. Now, imagine a hacker breached into this company’s database(s) and stole all of your personal info. Now what? If you think that this doesn’t happen often then I implore you to do some research. Everyone from Equifax to J.P Morgan to the Pentagon has been hacked. Cyber security vulnerabilities are everywhere and some of them are so dangerous that they can only be mitigated, not stopped. At this point, everyone is hackable.

The third type of person is the dumbest by far. These are the people who say “I have nothing to hide.” There are two main issues with this. Firstly, by exposing sensitive data about yourself, you’re allowing potential hackers to create a rich profile about you. From posting a picture of your face to stating your first name, your privacy can be compromised easily. By far, the critical reason that the argument is idiotic is this: you’ve effectively given everyone the keys to your mind. While it may not appear like it, we tend to project our interests and desires even when we’re not trying to. Our thoughts, political alignment, religion, sexual orientation, gender, race, and every other aspect that constitutes us can be inferred through our browsing behavior. While we may feel resilient to advertisements, the reality is that advertisements are everywhere and their effect is chilling. Digital and neurological marketing has made us docile, materialistic, and narcissistic. By letting companies access our personal data, we merely are giving our minds away. Most importantly, government & corporate surveillance can essentially be a form of blackmail. If anyone ever catches you doing something out of context, then you’re screwed. If anyone wants to ruin you, they have a plethora of tools to work with. And in the process, they create some hideous stuff.

So, if you’re slightly more paranoid now, then that’s a good sign. Realistically, I bet less than one percent of the people that read anything I have written feel uneasy or feel as if they’ve learned something new. Most of the information I’ve mechanically regurgitated is just the same stuff you hear everywhere else.

So why am I trying to scare you into maintaining your privacy? Maybe the more apt response to this apathy would be to show just how easy it is to stay private online.

• Don’t use Chrome — For some people, Chrome is their life and blood. At one point, Google and Chrome were the bread and butter of my Internet experience. But Chrome is a major privacy threat, particularly because they are created by Google and the browser is on your machine. This means that Chrome can relay and store a substantial amount of information about you. A preferrable alternative to Chrome would be Firefox or, if you have an iPhone or other Apple product, Safari. I would probably say that Firefox is the better option because it’s run by the Mozilla Foundation and not a corporation that could possibly backstab its users. Ghostery is also good, though I haven’t used it myself. Even the
• Use secure passwords — This seems obvious but there’s more to it. While everyone knows that you should have a secure password, the question is more focused on how do you generate one. XKCD provides an amusing comic on this topic, but if you really want to generate a secure password for each site you have without going through too much trouble, then just generate random passwords using a password managers. Lastpass is a pretty good option, but Myki, LogMeOnce, and Symantec Norton’s Password Manager are all good options from what I’ve heard. Even the iCloud keychain has become advanced enough to the point that it can generate and securely store passwords for you.
• Use an adblocker or install Pi-Hole — OK, admittedly, I haven’t done the latter, but I know people that have and from the looks of it it’s probably the best way to block ads. While adblocker extensions are a step in the right direction, they only block ads in the browser they’re installed in on the particular device you’ve installed the browser on. Pi-Hole completely blocks ads on your entire network. This not only stops invasive, targetted advertising that compromises your anonymity and psychologically manipulates you, but it also speeds up your network by a lot. While it’s a bit tricky to install, it’s definitely worth it once it’s all set up.
• Install privacy extensions — Speaking of installing adblocker extensions, there are many good, general-purpose privacy extensions out there that guarantee your privacy with little effort on your end. HTTPS Everywhere is a definite must. While HTTPS encryption is a standard that’s accepted by default within the Internet community, the reality is that many sites tend to have limited support for HTTPS and some hyperlinks lead to unencrypted connections on an otherwise encrypted site. Privacy Badger, an extension for blocking online trackers, is excellent for staying anonymous online and stopping advertisements from vexing you.
• Check your Google Account’s settings — Let’s face it: Google is everywhere. Even if you avoid using Google for everything, it’s likely that your workplace or school requires you to have one. If that’s the case, take a look into your account’s settings and see what permissions you’re giving Google. Don’t browse while signed into your Google account. Enable two-factor authentication on your account. Most importantly, keep your personal life separate from your ‘Google life’. If you don’t need to share something with Google, then don’t share it. If you don’t need to use Google for something, then don’t use it.

Privacy isn’t really that hard. It’s difficult to guarantee nowadays, but the reality is that it isn’t that difficult to just be careful. Privacy is a crucial aspect of retaining autonomy and staying safe online. There’s nothing wrong with being a little paranoid.