Is Anything Private Anymore?
by Dr Nitin Mehta. ( MSc, PhD, FICN, Dip.in Lib Sc, & Hosp. Admn )

It’s now no secret that your daily activities are being ‘watched’, monitored and logged.. What you buy, where you go, where you eat lunch/dinner, whom you call, even the Web sites you visit or emails sent – all these activities come under a scanner, with information being monitored Even when you ‘re in public , you are likely to be ‘captured’, thanks to Google’s Street View project now in use in America.

One thing is clear .In today’s world, maintaining a cocoon of privacy simply isn’t practical or possible too. We are getting so many tempting offers daily in the media or on telephone about the purchase of goods – anything from cars, various gadgets etc. When you show interest in the product and slight inclination about the purchase, you may be asked give out certain of your personal details ,apart from your address – residential / work place, info about the earnings in family, number of credit cards being used etc We all make daily trade offs for convenience, bills paid through ECS. Should you care? There can be debate on all sides of the privacy to find out just how wary we should be. Some will be resigned to the idea about being part of the new system.

So how do you live in a digital world and still maintain a semblance of privacy? It is crucial to recognize that these information are permanent, a trail of electronic crumbs that is never swept away and is available to one and all. Privacy may not be an issue for youngsters in 20s, as he lives on social networking sites, till what was funny to college friends or friends residing in nearby street might not be liked by a new recruiter .Employers regularly research job applications on the Internet. Some agencies help you to prepare, how to clean up a Face book or MySpace account. It is easy for someone to take advantage of you on the Internet. The Web is a place where if you become careless, people can destroy your reputation. As one is aware,all kinds of transgressions are now easily retrievable, one need not be surprised to see his name in an report about some mischief , say brush with an traffic police , done one or two years back and that may harm your job seeking venture.Hard drives, in a computer is a gold mine , financial data, e-mails , what Web sites, one looks at and how long.

Unless you use your cash for everything, data brokers have compiled your profile , which is circulated among marketers and direct mail firms .Now, alarming news is that the junk mail is also going digital. Companies may be able to use your personal profiles and records from Internet .new databases that are being created all the time. Still, most of us do feel that we should be vigilant about increasing encroachments on our privacy The ability to collect information and an image has outpaced the security available. and lakhs of personal records must have been stolen or posted online. And even if information stays secure, the big question is : who should be allowed to access these databases? Even more disturbing : all of the data files can be linked and cross referenced. If one govt. agency find it useful in few cases .the other, can track you with ulterior motive,which may indicate the govt. has an inordinate amount of power over the populace. Supreme Court in India has tried to curtail some activities in collecting and disbursing one’s personal data, but still your phone rings at odd times from some companies soliciting business. .e.g share broking house, car dealers, insurance agents Etc the list is long.
How to protect your privacy. No one is going to protect your privacy for you; fool proof methods are being evolved, may take time to give you peace of mind

Be stingy with personal information.
Be vigilant in cyberspace, a basic firewall is must for your home computer, give any personal information to an e-mail.
Practice anonymity as best as you can.
Learn more, keep mind cool, and discuss specific questions on privacy with your closest friends.