African-Americans and Internet Privacy

Black people don’t like the idea of putting their business “in the streets.” Its a cliche that means we keep our affairs to ourselves and unless it concerns you then stay out of it. But black people are Internet users and we need to be concerned about our privacy there as well.

Recently some changes have occurred that need to be addressed if you go online. The Federal Communication Commission and President Trump have rolled back Obama administration rules that kept your Internet service provider from tracking your online activity and selling it to whoever wants to buy it. Basically its now legal to put your business in the streets of the cyber world.

You need to understand that its not just your business but the online activity of anyone in your home that uses your Internet connection. That includes your children. Why are they doing this?  Its all about targeting advertisements at you.

For marketers knowing what’s happening with you and in your home helps them to sell you to something. But it goes deeper than that. They can sell this information to the police or anyone willing to pay for your digital profile. Whats in your digital profile? Try financial data such as your online banking, shopping and credit data, personal health information, your browsing history such as what websites you visit including social media and porn, app usage, and your location. If you have children in the house what are they doing online? The cable company knows who their friends are and where they are, what school they go to and a lot more about what they do online.

But let’s take it deeper. You probably have cable television, phone service and even cellphone service from the cable company. If you have Comcast that additional service is coming this year.  AT&T is also offering this bundled service.   So what does that mean for your privacy? It means these companies know everything you are doing. What television shows you watch and record on your DVR and who you call on your home phone and/or cellphone.

Let’s get even deeper. Do you have a home security system provided by the cable company? How about a smart thermostat on your wall? Now the cable company knows when you come and go and can even see into your home if you have security cameras. The cable company, because it provides your internet connection, knows how cool or warm you like your home and its all for sale. Thats your busness in the street.

What can you do about it? Now is the time to learn about VPN’s. A VPN is a service that creates a private connection over the public Internet between you and the website you visit. Its called tunneling. The VPN service can scramble or encrypt you information so that not even your ISP can see it. Basically a VPN hides who you are, where you are and what you’re doing online.

VPN’s are relatively easy to install and use but there a few things you need to understand. They are not perfect. For example you may experience a slow down in your connection speed. VPNs don’t block ads or ad tracking. You need to block cookies and ads using your browser. To block ad trackers, try using a privacy-focused browser extensions like uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger. These will stop ad-trackers from following you around the Internet.

Most major browsers offer ad blocker extensions. You can find the best paid and free ad and pop up blockers at PC & Network Downloads.

But there is an easier step you can take to protect your privacy, simply switch web browsers. To make an immediate difference in your online privacy download and install the Opera web browser. This is currently the only available web browser that comes with a VPN. Opera also offers a mobile browser and a free standing VPN app along with other tools.

A few other things you need to know about VPNs. Finding one that is the “best” is a tough job. There are many available and not all are created equal. Some use outdated encryption technology and others keep logs of your traffic. This is where the work comes in. Why would you use a VPN service that keeps logs of your internet activity? Kind of defeats the whole purpose doesn’t it? You need to check their privacy policies before you purchase a VPN service. And by the way they are fairly cheap. About $50-$100 a year. Some sell lifetime subscriptions.

Right now the atmosphere in the Washington D.C is not conducive to protecting your privacy. And, to be honest, its damn near impossible. But you can keep some of your business off the streets some by  exercising a few measures and using a VPN is a good start.

Now you know.