Steps To Protecting Your Privacy In A Digital Age!

Today’s digital age has been characterized by a culture of oversharing. Just finished a workout session? Your Facebook friends need to know about it immediately. Going on holiday to an exotic destination? This definitely has to go on Instagram. With larger portions of our lives being documented online, there is a big argument to be made that there is no such thing as privacy anymore.

There is so much information and pictures about us out there, that it’s not dissimilar to what we are finding in tabloid magazines and websites. However, unlike celebrities, who have learned to manage their privacy, we seem to flock to the paparazzi, rather than away from them.

While there may be things that were considered private 20 years ago that aren’t anymore, the general concept of privacy and our expectation for it still exists. In South Africa, privacy is a fundamental constitutional right to which every single person is entitled. In terms of South African law, the more you protect your privacy, the more privacy you have.

The test for whether or not one’s privacy has been infringed is whether there is a reasonable expectation of privacy in a particular set of circumstances? For example, if a photograph is taken of you while you’re fully clothed and out in public, you are unlikely to have a problem with it; but if you’re naked in the shower and someone sneaks a photo you will definitely be up in arms.

The very most basic thing you can do to protect your online privacy is to have a private account. If you do not take basic steps like this, you cannot be upset tomorrow if a tabloid magazine features a ten page spread of your family holiday from Instagram, as you have taken no steps to protect your privacy and therefore cannot have any expectation of privacy. Rather under-share than over-share.

Another privacy concern that is important to consider for anyone with children is sharing – and oversharing – of their photos. Parents are responsible for protecting their children’s privacy and the online space is no different. A good test is to ask yourself: “when my child is older, would he/she be happy with this being online?” If the answer is no – don’t post it.

As soon as your child is old enough to have a conversation around consent, our advice is to ask before posting. In addition, when it comes to your children, don’t post anything awkward or embarrassing, don’t include identifying information such as your child in their school uniform, and definitely not any cute pictures of your naked toddler running on the beach. We know it is adorable, but there are creepy people out there.

Remember, once information is out there, it’s out there for good. The internet is permanent and so we need to try and protect what we put on social media, as much as possible. Here are a few tips to improving your privacy online:

• Be selective of who you connect with on social media and who you allow to follow you
• Make your accounts private and make the privacy settings as strict as possible. Some platforms offer additional features, such as restricting even which followers can see your content
• If you have multiple social media accounts be aware that posts may link to each other. For example, something you post on Facebook can get automatically shared to Instagram
• Turn off the location function on your camera and on all apps except for those that help you find your device if it’s stolen (Find My iPhone on Apple, or Find My Device on Android), for ride-sharing (such as Uber or Bolt), and maps (such as Google Maps)
• Delete or disable old accounts that you don’t use anymore. You never know when your younger self can pop up to haunt you again, and these accounts remain vulnerable to being hacked
• Never post to social media platforms in the heat of the moment, whether your account is private or not: anger or sadness and other emotions can heavily cloud your judgement
• Always fact-check any news before resharing, especially if it seems a bit far-fetched or incites an intense emotional response
• Remove third-party plugins connected to your Facebook profile. Time and again, these third-party applications have proven to be misusing or selling people’s personal data, and it’s best that you avoid them altogether.