The internet. Revolutionary, defiant, formidable (for some). The best thing since sliced bread. ‘A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardised communication protocols.’ We use our online world every second of every day, of every year to survive. It’s as if almost every human has been programmed to get connected. Without it, humans will struggle with life. Our lives are all on the computers, all our likes, dislikes, wishes and personal information. In 2014, more than 3,020,000,000 humans were on the internet, and it doesn’t look like this number will start decreasing any time soon.

In today’s world if you go onto a website, usually it would have generic tracking software. This means they, they being a computer working for the company, can find out what you have been looking at, your location when looking on the website, what time you were on their website and what you bought. Most websites have ‘cookies’. A cookie is a piece of data sent from the website to your browser. When you use a website, the cookie is sent to the server and back to the company. The cookie tells them what you have done on their website. With this information, it is easier to send you advertisements. Cookies can not carry viruses or install malware on the host computer, however tracking cookies and especially third-party tracking cookies are used as ways to compile long-term records of individuals’ browsing histories. This could be concerninging because you don’t know who out of the 3.02 billion (2014) people in the world currently has access to your information.

Some do take advantage of all the precious and important data that we input into our computers, thinking that it will go no further than our screens. There are many reasons why we shouldn’t expect privacy online such as governments being able to recognise criminal activity and handle the situation before anything drastic happens. The UK government recently created a new unit, the Communications Capabilities Directorate, to implement the controversial Interception Modernisation Programme, maintaining huge databases of people’s online activities. On the other hand, we should expect privacy because leaving our online activities open can lead to problems such as identity theft and us being used for surveys without our permission.

We shouldn’t expect our online activities to be kept private. Your government not being able to access someone’s online data could be the difference between saving lives or an attack taking place in your city. We have rights to privacy, which will always stand, however there should be limitations. If you are doing illegal things online, you only do it because you think you can’t be found. You hide behind your computer. If your online activities weren’t private, you wouldn’t do anything illegal. It’s just a hunch.

In reality, do we really want privacy? Facebook, have you heard of it? Well 1.23 billion people were using it by the end of 2013. I think many of them want privacy, yet they choose to give all there information away publicly, for any stranger to read. They post pictures they would never show their employers and comment on things they would never say face to face. Particularly on twitter, people, especially celebrities, give hourly updates of there whereabouts and what they are doing. How can these people embrace privacy?

No one is forcing you to use the internet, it’s a privilege to have access to the internet. There are laws and rights that protect your privacy online. If you don’t want to be noticed online, don’t allow yourself to get into that situation. Also, if you aren’t doing something you shouldn’t be doing, there is no problem being seen.

If people knew they were watched, they would step more carefully.