With the advent of Web 2.0, social media has necessitated the input of personal information online. Users have grown to become more sensitive to the existence of their personal data - what it contains, who has access to it, and what its being used for. Consequently, numerous measures have been taken to protect the privacy rights of online citizens, such as Singapore's Privacy and Data Protection Act (2012) and the creation of browser softwares (e.g. Privacy Badger and Ghostery) that stop advertisers and third party trackers from accessing one's information.
Privacy Badger when activated on NUS CNM Homepage
However, threats to privacy still penetrate the online environment. We can no longer control who we want to share our data with as this data is often processed without clear consent. For example, third-party trackers still trace an individual's online footprints as one browses the net. These trackers are usually deployed by corporations who threaten privacy through the extraction of commercial value from consumers in their personal transactions.
By the same token, social media sites also sell users’ information to advertisers in the name of targeted marketing. The user's lack of informed consent raises questions of ethics, implicating the extent to which the right to privacy is granted to online citizens.
Such privacy issues are further amplified by online users’ lack of privacy literacy, the extent to which the burden of online data protection is shouldered by an individual. Even with privacy policies, the complexity of such policies has raised questions regarding the ability of users to understand these policies and whether or not they help users make more informed decisions. It is still the most imperative to raise the user's awareness of potential risks and the availability of privacy protection options.
Due to the lack of control of users’ personal data, as well as the lack of privacy literacy, it looks like online privacy rights still have a long way to go to become fully realized.
References:
http://lerablog.org/internet/the-importance-of-internet-privacy-and-how-to-protect-your-privacy-with-a-vpn-service/
http://www.themarysue.com/facebook-privacy-zuckerberg-sister/
https://www.eff.org/privacybadger
https://www.pdpc.gov.sg/legislation-and-guidelines/overview
