Internet privacy…is it a thing anymore?

Featured article by Mike MacKenzie, Independent Technology Author

Edward Snowden’s leak about massive government surveillance happened almost four years ago, but the debate about internet privacy is far from over. Net neutrality is under threat, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) work to collect and share your data with the US government. The UK government has repeatedly called for investigation into encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp. The internet we all know and love is under threat.

What happened to net neutrality?

Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communication Commission, continues to push for looser government oversight of internet service providers. This impacts the American consumer in several big ways.

First, and most importantly, it means that the internet is no longer neutral territory. ISPs will now be able to set the prices for high-speed internet that they see fit, creating net inequality: only those who can afford the higher prices will be able to connect.

Secondly, it will affect online content: some webpages will load faster than others as broadband providers charge companies like Facebook and Netflix higher rates for speedier connections. Pai has argued that the internet shouldn’t be treated like, or regulated as, a public utility, but these changes will have a significant impact on the public’s ability to get online.

ISPs and the government of data collection

In April, President Trump signed a Congressional resolution that will roll back rules that require ISPs to ask for consumer permission before collecting, using, and selling their online data. Facebook and Google already aggregate user data to connect advertisers with the right audience, but these changes will have a profound impact on consumer privacy.

Support for the measure falls along party lines. House Republicans view the measure as an unnecessary regulation, and an example of government overreach. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, said in a statement that the measure is “about increasing profits at the expense of the privacy of the American people.”

Encrypted messaging services under fire

Following the March terrorist attack in Westminster, UK government officials have called for access to encrypted messages sent via sites like WhatsApp and Telegram. UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that there should be “no place” for terrorists to be able to hide from intelligence services.

Similar requests have met with challenges in the United States. After the San Bernardino shooting in December 2015, Apple refused to create a backdoor for the iPhone used by San Bernardino attacker Syed Farook. The FBI later said that it found its own way into the phone, but did not say how.

Smartphones and the connection to Big Data

Google, Apple, and Facebook collect vast amounts of user data, like location and contact information, simply through the smartphones we use every day. As Tom Simonite wrote in The MIT Technology Review, “Facebook has collected the most extensive data set ever assembled” on humans and their social patterns.

In 2011, Facebook expressly stated that it does not track users across the web. That’s changed: Facebook now tracks users even when they’re not logged into Facebook, monitoring their internet usage. When you click the ubiquitous “Like” or “Share” button on a website, that information gets collected by Facebook, often translating into a targeted ad on your newsfeed when you next log in.

What you can do

Fortunately, there are ways to take action against internet tracking and data mining, and reclaim your digital privacy. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is one of the simplest ways to do so.

VPNs create a private network for users even over a shared or public internet connection. VPNs also allow you to “spoof” your location and access data as if you were in another country. If online privacy is important to you a VPN can prove invaluable.

Author Bio – This post was written by Mike MacKenzie, a computer nerd with an interest in online privacy, security and pretty much anything “internetty”. When he’s not writing articles like this, you can catch him writing stuff at his own site vpnsrus.com