The Worrying State Of Internet Privacy In 2013 [Infographic]

When we think about Internet privacy, it seems we all think about some incident in the past when either our own or someone else’s personal information was compromised. It happens every day, and it will most likely continue to be that way. It is said that it is our own fault when this happens to us, but somewhere in the back of my mind it feels like it should really be the service provider’s duty to keep our records safe from being hacked, cracked and out of harm’s way.

It’s anything but easy to make something completely secure. We tend to think multinational companies, internet services and social networks have their stuff under control, but do they really? I am sure they are all doing their best to keep our Internet privacy secure, but often they don’t seem to be able to keep up with all of the “innovations” that hackers and crackers come up with. So should we be worried?

There are of course ways we can make sure our personal information is not compromised. One of the most secure ways to maintain our Internet privacy is to never add personal information to the Internet in the first place. There are other ways too, and we can learn how to keep ourselves out of harm’s way by just looking at how popular sites collect their data. Often their users are unaware of these processes, and that in a way might make some people worry about their Internet privacy.

With the help of a fresh infographic from HostGator, we get to peek behind the scenes of some of the popular websites that pretty much all of us use on a daily basis. The infographic called 1984 In 2013 – Privacy And The Internet, goes through some of the ways these popular websites and services collect their user’s data. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist in order to understand that some of these can cause quite a bit of havoc if the data ends up in the wrong hands. If the right information ends up in the wrong hands, there can definitely be some nasty repercussions.

In order to stay just a little bit more secure on the Internet, and to maintain your Internet privacy, read through this infographic and see if it really is private after all. Most things you can prevent by not doing, turning off and even not allowing sites to collect at all. But that also comes with the side effect that the site can’t accurately determine how they can upgrade and refine their services for your enjoyment. But what is most important to you, Internet privacy or the user experience on the sites you choose to visit? It’s of course a personal preference. The Internet privacy we see evolving today could be worrying, at least if you look at the increased data collected.

HostGator’s 2013 Internet Privacy Infographic

(Click Infographic To Enlarge)

Via: [visual.ly]