Online Privacy Concerns: An Essay for NIT2201 IT Profession & Ethics

This essay delves into the multifaceted realm of online privacy, examining the critical concerns that individuals and organizations face in the digital age. It explores the importance of controlling personal information shared online and managing access to that data. The essay highlights the risks associated with digital privacy, including data breaches, hacking, and the misuse of personal information. It discusses various strategies for enhancing digital privacy, such as creating strong passwords, using different search engines, and understanding the purpose of data collection. Furthermore, the essay touches upon the role of major tech companies like Google and social media platforms, emphasizing the need for strong security measures and user awareness. The essay also examines the impact of new technologies, such as machine learning, on privacy, and the need for appropriate legislation and regulations. It concludes by discussing the Australian Privacy Principles and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), emphasizing their functional differences in data collection, management, and security.

Running head: IT PROFESSION AND ETHICS
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Issues of digital privacy:
Privacy in digital framework has become an important point of discussion, as it is associated
with personal privacy as well. Hence, it is important to recognize discussion on digital
privacy and offer insight into this topic with effective strategies to enhance digital privacy for
ensuring effective application of digital technology (Filkins et al., 2016). While talking about
digital privacy, it is important to note that in order to steal sensitive information that is
associated with privacy, it does not require others to have physical access to information, as it
is available online (Zyskind & Nathan, 2015). Hackers or cyber-criminals just require
sophisticated methods for exploiting database where this information is available. However,
the interesting thing to note here is that, most of the time owner of the data does not have
information that there privacy is being comprised and this makes this even more significant
than traditional notion of privacy.
Digitization of document provides access to various information in a single place, which
often encourages for piracy of information. As people have access to document easily, they
often tends to steal it without concern of the owner of the original document. This is a
significant issue associated with the digital document.
There are various options available for ensuring digital privacy. However, it is important to
consider those options that are simple, yet effective so that majority of the people are able to
apply these measures. One of the possible measures are to create password for each digital
document, digital devices to make it difficult to access them without proper authentication
(Friedewald & Pohoryles, 2016). Secondly, while searching information online it is important
to switch between search engines as these search engines keep track of information to keep
track of what users have searched online to show ads. Hence, it is recommended to consider
different search engines. When certain services or vendors ask for information, it is required

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to properly understand why that information are needed and they should not share their
information if they do not understand the purpose of the information collection. This is a
significant measure to ensure proper control on digital information and digital privacy as well
(Schmidt & Cohen, 2015). However, it is seen that if users are not aware enough to apply
necessary measures to ensure their digital privacy, it is difficult to protect their privacy on the
digital platform.
When discussing about digital revolution, it is important to recognise that this revolution
would not have been possible without access to millions of information that is served through
search engine via internet and one company that has established itself as the pioneer is none
other than goggle. Apart from search engine, it also various services such as video streaming
platform youtube, mail service Gmail, google drive for cloud service. Now in order to access
all of these services only one account is required and this is done to make the service most
consistent, convenient, and easy to organize (Marriott, Williams & Dwivedi, 2017). However
thus has various security challenges and that is access to all of these service requires
knowledge about only username and password, which is often accessed by hackers for illegal
access to personal information (Kumar et al., 2019). In order to protect themselves on google,
users are suggested to make username and password in such a way that it is hard to guess and
not easily exploitable. Along with that, two-phase verification is recommended, as it will alert
users if anyone tries to access their account through wrong password and it will notify users if
attempt is made to change password by anyone, even if it is by the users themselves for
ensuring enhanced protection of digital data associated with that particular account.
New services are being brought to the market, which is application of advance computing and
intelligence. For example, Application of machine learning and artificial intelligence has
brings some innovative products in the market. Machine learning collects information about
people through tracking of mobile data such as information regarding online purchase,

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product searched online and other important data that help in analysing consumer behaviour,
which helps companies to personalize advertisement based on consumer preference (Zhang &
Gupta, 2018). Now as these services are new, appropriate legislation are required for
providing standards and regulations for collecting and applying these data for business
purposes. This will make data collection process transparent and help people to ensure that
their data is secured and privacy is maintained (Benson, Saridakis & Tennakoon, 2015).
Additionally this will also allow government to regulate this process effectively. Hence, new
legislation is required in this regard.
These same techniques such as strong username and password, two-phase verification are
also recommended for protecting digital data including personal information on social media
platform and iCloud. However for social media it is important to review what information are
being shared because sharing too much personal information such as information regarding
credit and debit card, personal ID and other important data is not recommended at all.
People who are more active on online platform requires enhanced protection than people who
are not so active on online platforms. This is because who need to access online service more
than others do, requires more awareness about digital challenges and needs better protection
as well.
Active online users have tendency to share information online, hence, they need to care more
about information sharing and required better security measures than other type of users who
are not so active on online platforms.
For example, a recent data breach at twitter, a popular social media platform, has exposed a
million of user data. People who associated with twitter has been asked to change their
password immediately to avoid illegal access of their personal information. It shows that

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users who are extensive users of online service including social media services should be
aware of its associated security threats and requires adopting enhanced security measures.
Just like service providers and organizations who collects personal information, it is also
responsibility of the users that they follow appropriate security measures, otherwise it is not
possible to ensure privacy. For example, banks often ask consumers not to share their credit
or debit card related information to anyone (Hadjimatheou, Coaffee & De Vries, 2019). Now
it is responsibility of the bank to share this information to the consumers, but if they do not
follow this suggestion and share this information with others, banks are not to be accused for
breach of credit and debit related information. Banks are definitely responsible to enhance
their security measures such as encryption of data regarding an account such as account
details, details of transactions made, credit and debit card PIN, but they are not only one who
should care about consumer privacy. Consumers equally are responsible to secure their
personal information through strategies recommended by service provider if they want to
ensure their digital privacy for ensuring personal privacy as well.
Loyalty program is an important aspect of marketing strategies considered by various
organizations. It makes consumers think that organizations think of their benefits. However,
in order to provide these services, companies collects personal information. However, most
of the consumers do not have proper idea what kind of data is being collected, how these
information is being shared, where it is being applied and as a result they often do not have
proper idea there personal information is accessed illegally which might compromise their
digital privacy as well.
In 2019, Marriott has relaunched its loyalty program after database of reservation system of
Starwood Hotels was breached. Due to this, records of 350 million customer was stolen and
officials revealed these themselves and hence there is no issue of accuracy of this

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information. This incident yet again proved that loyalty program has significant security
issues, even though this is never revealed to consumers while data is collected and this is only
known there is incident of data breach.
The Australian Privacy Principles and the European Union’s General Data Protection Rule or
GDPR are two important and popular data protection law concerning data privacy (Voigt &
Von dem Bussche, 2017). While APP is only applicable for Most Australian and Norfolk
Island Government agencies, All private sector and not-for-profit organisations whose annual
turnover exceeding $3 million, All private health service providers and Some small
businesses. However, GDPR is applicable for organization that is outside of the European
Union and hence this law is irrespective of location of the company.
The Australian Privacy Principles for enhancing data security and individual privacy, also
makes it mandatory for organizations to make the APP commissioner aware of any potential
data breach or nay data breach that has been executed by cyber-criminals or hackers (Daly,
2017)). Organizations need to send notification to the authorities regarding data breach. It has
been made mandatory through “notifiable data breaches scheme”. However, in case of
GDPR, organizations need to inform authorities about any potential data breach and for this
time frame is provided to the organizations so that they are able to implement their strategies
for defending possible data breach, which might compromise the privacy of any individual or
data owner.
Therefore, it is seen that although both these schemes provide protection to data, they have
various functional differences in the way data is collected, managed and secured for ensuring
data privacy.

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