Privacy requires work. Like it or not, protecting your privacy is up to you. Laws and rules are different in every country and every state. Often, laws are unevenly or rarely enforced, so you will have to be perseverant and vigilant.
Remember:
- Most of the Internet is not designed to protect the privacy of those who use it.
- The default privacy settings for most apps and services are the settings that provide the least privacy.
- Privacy policies often allow providers to collect and share any data they can about you and to change the policies without notifying you.
And do the following:
- Educate yourself about existing laws and policies on what kinds of personal information can be tracked, shared with third parties, or made public.
- Delete online accounts you’re not using anymore and take down content that’s no longer needed. A site like account killer can be helpful.
- Follow all the rules I have written about these last weeks.
- Encourage policymakers to develop comprehensive privacy regulations, educate yourself and others, and take proactive steps to protect your privacy.
Remember, only you can prevent privacy forest fires.