Web users need to take the initiative and read the privacy policies of the privacy platforms they

As Online Privacy Becomes Commercialized, Consumers Need to Get Educated

Commercial Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are playing an increasing role in the current battle between privacy-conscious web users and government agencies seeking to increase their surveillance reach. But as online privacy becomes yet another product, ready to be branded and packaged, the problem of dishonest vendors, and a lack of education amongst customers, threatens to undermine any real benefit the market can bring.

Since the PRISM revelations, VPN usage is on the increase. IVPN saw an increase in sign-ups of around 56% in the two months following Edward Snowden's revelations. Other VPNs also reported an increase in business (as did privacy-orientated search engine DuckDuckGo). On the face of it, this is great news. More web users are starting to take online privacy seriously and are aware their private data is no longer (or never was) secure. But it also highlights a lack of education amongst web users. Why? Because VPNs will do virtually nothing to protect your data from the kind of surveillance outlined in the leaked PRISM documents.

The whole point of PRISM was to create backdoors into the web's most popular services, such as Google, Yahoo and Facebook. These backdoors allowed the NSA to intercept user data and harvest their information. That information could then be linked to the user's account and identity. VPNs can prevent an eavesdropper knowing a user's location and IP address, and prevent an ISP from recording your internet activity, but once you've signed up for a Gmail account you're on your own––that data is stored on Google's servers and is accessible by anyone who may have a backdoor onto those servers.

Web users need to take the initiative and read the privacy policies of the privacy platforms they're signing up for.

So, there is evidently a danger of web users not being properly educated on how to protect their data and a risk that VPN companies will exploit the climate of fear generated by the PRISM revelations, offering a wrong solution to the problem. Indeed, some VPNs have been less than honest when it comes to promoting their services in other ways. For instance, one of the key reasons to use a VPN––as touched on above––is its ability to avoid the data retention practices of an ISP. Nearly all ISPs will retain user data for a set period of time in the United States, and every ISP in Europe is forced by law to retain data for the entirety of a users' subscription and up to two years after the subscription ends.

VPNs are able to get around the above by wiping their logs of user activity regularly and reducing the period of data retention to, in some cases, minutes. The problem is not all VPNs actually state how regularly they wipe user data, and when you look closely at their privacy policies, you'll find some of the most popular services retain data for just as long as a regular ISP. Some of the biggest VPNs on the market may retain user data for two years, whereas others may only retain information for a few months.

It's therefore very important for web users to understand what kind of online privacy they are getting for their money and whether or not that service is actually offering the kind of protection they expect. Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation do a great job at educating the public on these matters, but web users also need to take the initiative themselves and actually read the privacy policies of the privacy platforms they're signing up for. 

About the Author

Nick Pearson is CEO of IVPN.

Featured

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

  • Unlocking Trustworthy AI: Building Transparency in Security Governance

    In situations where AI supports important security tasks like leading investigations and detecting threats and anomalies, transparency is essential. When an incident occurs, investigators must trace the logic behind each automated response to confirm its validity or spot errors. Demanding interpretable AI turns opaque “black boxes” into accountable partners that enhance, rather than compromise, organizational defense. Read Now

  • Seeking Innovative Solutions

    Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. You may recognize these terms as the “5 Phases” of a grieving process, but they could easily describe the phases one goes through before adopting any new or emerging innovation or technology, especially in a highly risk-averse industry like security. However, the desire for convenience in all aspects of modern life is finally beginning to turn the tide from old school hardware as the go-to towards more user-friendly, yet still secure, door solutions. Read Now

  • Where AI Meets Human Judgment

    Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. It is driving business growth, shaping consumer experiences, and showing up in places most of us never imagined just a few years ago. Read Now

New Products

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.