Internet Privacy and its importance.

"Written by Leezer Kaur, a student".

Introduction

The term ‘internet privacy’ is also called ‘online privacy’ and is an important matter of concern in today’s technology era. It mainly promotes the personal privacy of the user when such a user displays, stores, or provides personal information to such an application or website on the Internet. There is a need to define the protection standards so that such personal information of the user is not used for some purpose that would result in an unreasonable breach of the privacy of the user.

Internet Privacy in India

India’s most important legislation concerning internet privacy is the Information Technology Act, of 2000, which contains several provisions to safeguard the online policy of the user and penalize hacking and fraud in online cases. There are also the Information Technology Protection ‘Reasonable security practices and procedures and sensitive personal data or information’ Rules, 2011. Also, there are guidelines under the Information Technology Act regarding the retention of personal details of users in Cyber Cafes. They are also supposed to retain the websites and proxy servers accessed by their users. In India, the government intercepted around 9000 phones and e-mail accounts of citizens in 2011 under legal surveillance. But there are a number of instances of unauthorized interceptions that take place in 2013, 1300 phones in the area of the state of Himachal Pradesh were intercepted only on the verbal demand of the ministry and without any such formal approval. All this depicts that the privacy laws in India are very weak right now. In 2012, a report providing for recommendations for a privacy framework and legislation in India under the chairmanship of Justice A.P. Shah was published.

REASONS FOR THREATS TO ONLINE PRIVACY

The following are the reasons why threats are faced by the users to their internet privacy:

• Reuse the same passwords for different accounts.

• Oversharing on social media.

• Unsecured web browsing.

• Software vulnerabilities.

• Mass surveillance.

• Inadequate regulations and regulations.

IMPORTANCE OF INTERNET PRIVACY

We are supposed to share our personal, financial, social, and other forms of data while using different services on the internet. We are also supposed to share our sensitive information like passwords, bank details, and identification card numbers which are very important for us to be protected from any third party. Access to such information can result in fraud for the user and is also a flagrant breach of an individual’s privacy. So, there is a need to protect the same, which can be done only by enacting data privacy laws and by the users' awareness. The users can also play an important role in protecting themselves from such online threats. A country's government can help protect

Conclusion

‘Internet privacy’ refers to the online privacy of the user. It promotes the privacy and protection of the user's personal data from online threats. The users and the data protection laws enacted by the government of a country can together help in protecting a person’s privacy while using the internet.

References

1. 'What is online privacy? Why is it important?', available at: https://www.bitdefender.com/cyberpedia/what-is-online-privacy/.

2. 'The importance of digital privacy in the digital age', available at: https://www.coveidentity.com/post/the-importance-of-digital-privacy-in-the-digital-age.

3. 'Why is online privacy important?', available at: https://www.onlineprivacyexpert.com/why-is-online-privacy-important/.

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