Remember, these suggestions are not a replacement for real legal advice. If you have specific questions, it’s best to ask a professional who knows the law.

To help set you on the right legal track, we have a collection of WordPress plugins that can help with many of the different legal aspects of running a website. We’ve organized them by category to make it easier for you to find what you need. These plugins can be a big help in making sure your website is on the right side of the law.

EU Cookie Law WordPress Plugins

Cookie Notice by dFactory

Cookie Notice by dFactory provides an easy way to let your site’s visitors know about your use of cookies. You can customize a notice that will appear either on the top or bottom of the page. Users can accept, decline, or read more about your policies via clickable buttons.

CookieYes Cookie Banner & Compliance Plugin

Cookie Law Info will create a customizable banner to inform visitors of your cookie policies. The banner can be automatically removed after a few seconds, or you can require the user to accept your terms manually.

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service WordPress Plugins

Auto Terms of Service & Privacy Policy

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, have created both a Terms of Service and Privacy Policy under the Creative Commons Sharealike license.

Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy brings these documents to your site. Simply add your organization’s info in the plugin settings and display the documents via a WordPress Shortcode. This plugin is meant for sites based in the United States.

WPLegalPages Privacy Policy & T&Cs Generator

WPLegalPages will generate a variety of must-have compliance documents for your website. The free version of the plugin includes a privacy policy, terms & and conditions, DCMA policy, and more.

Setup is simple – enter your business name and select which documents you want to generate. A cookie consent bar is also included. The pro version ups the ante with guided wizards, age verification, and popups.

EU VAT WordPress Plugins

WooCommerce EU VAT Compliance

Those running WooCommerce can take the pain out of VAT with WooCommerce EU VAT Compliance. It will record a customer’s location, show VAT calculations in the backend, and automatically add VAT to product pricing. You can even block out EU customers if you’d rather not collect VAT at all.

EDD Quaderno

EDD Quaderno helps to make Easy Digital Downloads shops compliant with VAT and the intricacies of other locales. It will also create improved versions of the standard EDD receipts. To use the plugin, you’ll need a Quaderno account.

Age Verification WordPress Plugins

Age Gate

Age Gate is a highly configurable plugin for restricting age-based content. Select the minimum age along with the content you want to protect, and underage users will be locked out.

Choose from a variety of user input methods (dropdown, text field, or yes/no buttons) and customize the look of the UI to match your website. The plugin is also SEO-friendly and won’t try to restrict common search bots.

Easy Age Verify

Make age verification simple with Easy Age Verify. The plugin offers turnkey settings based on different types of website content. It’s also built with accessibility and SEO in mind. The pro version is fully customizable, with the ability to match your site’s look.

Digital Signature WordPress Plugins

Gravity Forms Signature Add-On

This unofficial add-on for Gravity Forms will allow users to digitally sign documents on your website. There’s also a version for Ninja Forms.

CF7Sign – Signature Field For Contact Form 7

Adding a signature field to your Contact Form 7 forms is just a click away. Once you’ve installed and activated CF7Sign, a “Sign” field will be added to your forms’ options. There’s not much room for customization here, but it’s a dead-simple solution.

Keeping it Legal

Granted, it can be a bit of a hassle to keep track of compliance issues. But that doesn’t make it any less vital to do so. WordPress plugins are there to make the task a bit easier – even automating the process in some cases.

So, there’s no excuse for slacking! Take some time to learn your responsibilities as a website owner and use the handy plugins above to help you manage. Obviously, using these plugins alone won’t make you compliant – but they will help set you on the right path.

The post 10 Best Free Legal Compliance Plugins for WordPress appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Of course, this affects website owners worldwide, as any site that serves even one EU citizen is obligated to comply. So, whether you’re based in Paris, France, or Paris, Texas – GDPR applies to you.

The internet has been in a mad scramble as companies send out masses of email notices and are changing privacy policies at near lightspeed. But if you haven’t gotten around to dealing with the issue just yet – it’s okay. We have your back!

Below are eight helpful resources you can use to bring yourself up to speed and get your site into compliance.

*And, as the standard legal disclaimer goes, please know that these resources won’t, by themselves, ensure compliance. It takes some work on your part and advice from a legal professional to make things more official.

The GDPR Compliance Checklist

This interactive checklist will help ensure that you are on the right path to compliance.

While it doesn’t cover every possibility, it is quite handy to have a list in front of you if only to help you gain some peace of mind in a very complex situation.

Awesome GDPR

Developer Erwan Richard has curated this list of tools and resources that you can use to become compliant. Included are alternatives to Google Analytics, Maps and even social sharing buttons that don’t track user data.

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent

WordPress 4.9.6 came stocked with some new privacy tools that have GDPR in mind.

Complianz will scan your WordPress website and generate a cookie consent and policy based on what it finds. The plugin can be configured to display a cookie notice for your specific region, but you can also use a blanket notice for all users. It also blocks common third-party cookies and iframes. And that’s just scratching the surface of what this privacy suite can do.

Anonymizer

Working with a database that is full of personal user information in a development environment? Anonymizer is a tool that will replace that info with randomly generated content.

Obviously, it’s not meant for production environments – but provides an extra layer of security when you’re in the development phase.

GDPR Module for Drupal

If you’re running a Drupal site and looking to become GDPR compliant, this module can be a great help.

It lets users see what data your website collects, while also providing administrators with handy tools to manage data and user consent.

Cookies EU Banner

Cookies EU Banner is a very lightweight JavaScript library for gaining user consent to be tracked by services such as Google Analytics.

All it takes is a little bit of code at the top of your page to get started. The library even has the option of not setting a cookie until the user has accepted your policy.

GDPR Developer Guide

If you’re looking for a crash course in GDPR compliance, this open-source guide is for you. Through 16 chapters, you’ll find information regarding everything from identifying personal data to working with analytics. The overarching goal is to help developers build with privacy regulations in mind.

GDPR is Here for the Long Haul

While the chaos and extensive news coverage may fade, GDPR isn’t going anywhere. It certainly may see some tweaks in the future, but it is the new normal for web designers worldwide. The old way of doing things is, for better or worse, over.

The resources above could prove to be a big help as we navigate the many facets that GDPR presents. Use them to help develop processes that will ensure compliance by default. That way, this regulation becomes just another part of your job, rather than an extra burden to think about.

The post 7 Best Free Resources For GDPR Compliance appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

In some cases, they’ve led to government-based regulations such as the EU’s GDPR. However, worldwide there still seems to be quite a lot of confusion, resulting in inaction. Unfortunately, web designers seem to be caught in the middle.

What makes things even more difficult is how much we rely on third-party providers that enable all manner of different functionality. Each provider is another link in a privacy chain that may or may not be collecting/using data in an undesirable way.

Nowhere is this more of a challenge than when it comes to building sites with WordPress. That’s not because the CMS doesn’t take privacy seriously – it does. Rather, it’s a combination of being the web’s most-used platform and its ability to tie in with an untold number of services via plugins and themes.

That begs the question: How do we build WordPress websites with privacy in mind?

First, Have Realistic Expectations

Perhaps the obvious answer is to disable anything and everything related to tracking users. That means disabling cookies, not utilizing any third-party plugin or theme, and forget about showing ads. But that’s not going to meet the needs of most websites – especially if you’re building them for clients.

Therefore, we have to keep our expectations based on reality. And it’s also important to understand that if a site is expected to comply with some legal standard, lawyers, or some other party who can verify adherence should be involved.

Regardless, in almost all circumstances, some user data will be collected – either directly by your own site (form submissions, cookies, etc.) or through the outside services you connect with. This is life as we know it and may be impossible to avoid.

That doesn’t mean, however, that we are completely powerless. Together with clients, there are some decisions we can make that do keep the well-being of users in mind.

Choose Your Company Carefully

The one area where we have a significant amount of say is in what types of functionality we add to our website. This covers everything from the theme we use, the plugins we install, along with the outside APIs and code libraries we integrate.

Themes

There are some themes that do send data back to its developers, although it may not be user-specific. Usually, you can turn such functionality off via a setting. However, it’s best to check any data collection policies they have before making a commitment.

One of the best ways to ensure that a theme won’t collect user data is to build your own. There are plenty of great barebones starter themes and frameworks that help get projects up-and-running relatively quickly. It may not make sense for everybody, but it can be a great option if you want to exercise further control.

Plugins

When it comes to plugins, more and more, we are seeing them ask to collect data. It may be that they’re only interested in anonymous data that shows what other plugins you’re using, your hosting environment, and so on. Again, you’ll want to review exactly what they are looking to harvest from your site.

Reputable plugins should have these functions turned off by default and allow you to opt-in. If not, the beauty of the WordPress community is that there are usually plenty of alternative options. Look for a plugin that either doesn’t collect data or allows you to turn it off.

It’s also worthwhile to look for plugins that are compatible with the WordPress personal data export and erase tools, launched in version 4.9.6. This allows users to take ownership of their data and provides a means to have it removed from your site if they so wish.

It also makes for easier management when it comes to plugins that store user-related content in the site’s database. The last thing you want is to poke around a huge database, looking for extra bits of information to remove.

Third-Party Services

Many of us want to integrate Google Fonts or social media tools into our websites. Beyond that, there are many additional services that provide maps, analytics, video, script libraries, or APIs that we might want to tap into.

Odds are, the majority of these services will want to track users in one way or another. But there are some possible solutions:

• In the case of Google Fonts, you can always download the fonts you need and host them directly on your web server. The same goes for other remotely-hosted scripts.
• Some services will allow you to opt out of certain tracking behaviors. For instance, when embedding media from YouTube, it’s possible to turn on Privacy-Enhanced Mode, which lets users watch without the service tracking their viewing habits.

Also, note that some functionality may not work as expected without cookies or other tracking methods enabled. Be sure to read up on policies and documentation for details. Depending on your needs, this may or may not be worth the compromise.

Dealing with What Is, While Striving for Better Solutions

Certainly, all of this puts a lot of weight on the shoulders of web designers. It’s hard enough balancing the desires of our clients with the concerns of users. When you throw in all of the various privacy-related policies of governments and service providers, it all seems like mission impossible. In short: It’s a mess.

We can’t be expected to know exactly what Facebook does with user data while also keeping up with Twitter, Google, and advertising networks. It’s doubtful that even the people who work for these providers can keep up with their own jargon.

Yet, we’re still obligated to try. That means assessing the situation and attempting to know more about what it is we’re building. We need to encourage clients to adopt privacy policies of their own while making it clear that legal professionals are required to keep things on the up and up.

The modern website demands a lot of advanced functionality – much more than even a decade ago. And since so many of us use WordPress to build those sites, we must be aware of the various parts we’re piecing together.

Will it ever be completely cohesive? Maybe not. But it’s our job to try and put it all into as neat of a package as possible. It’s the best we can do until a better solution comes along.

The post Building WordPress Websites That Better Respect User Privacy appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

The results are impressive. Think of all the careers kickstarted by online publishing. I am living proof. Writing and web design have provided me with income and a platform. I’m forever grateful.

However, the rules of content ownership seem to be changing before our eyes. And it’s not the familiar trope of a spammer copying your text and images.

These days, large companies are trying to stake a claim. Social media has been doing this for years. And now artificial intelligence (AI) is putting the practice into overdrive.

Not everyone wants to own our content outright. Various platforms are looking to profit from what we create, though. Let’s take a look at what’s happening and what it means.

A Misunderstanding That Made Creators Think

Imagine a tool that helps you create compelling content. It then takes your content and profits from it. A recent change to Adobe’s Terms of Use seemed like it might do just that.

Users were up in arms regarding the revised language in the agreement:

“4.2 Licenses to Your Content. Solely for the purposes of operating or improving the Services and Software, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free sublicensable, license, to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute, modify, create derivative works based on, publicly perform, and translate the Content. For example, we may sublicense our right to the Content to our service providers or to other users to allow the Services and Software to operate as intended, such as enabling you to share photos with others. Separately, section 4.6 (Feedback) below covers any Feedback that you provide to us.”

I’m no lawyer or legal expert. But it sounds like the company is permitting itself to use your content. Theoretically, Adobe could use content created in Photoshop to feed its AI model.

Adobe has since clarified that this is not the case. The changes relate to allowing their cloud-based AI tools to modify your content – at your request. Furthermore, the language is there to facilitate the sharing of files via Adobe apps.

Perhaps it was all an honest misunderstanding. But can you blame anyone for being suspicious of the change?

Content Isn’t Just for User Consumption

The relentless pace of AI is making some people uncomfortable. Tools are scraping our websites to feed their models. Opting out isn’t straightforward.

It’s also different from social media. The workaround there has been to create content on a platform you control (a website) and promote that content on social media. We’re merely funneling traffic from a proprietary platform—not allowing it to own our creations.

AI has changed the game. The platforms are meeting us where we are. They’re indexing what we’ve published to improve their product.

All of this happens in the background. It may not be a big deal to some. If you can’t see it happening, what’s the harm?

We may not immediately see the effects. But the long-term ramifications could be significant.

What happens when a company chooses AI instead of a copywriter? Or let ChatGPT generate all of its custom code? Or replace a graphic artist with a text-to-image tool?

These things are already happening. Maybe they haven’t impacted you just yet. But pessimists will see this as feeding the machine that will take your place.

Rethinking the Role of Apps in Content Creation

I can’t say that I ever considered the role apps play in what I create. For example, I’ve used Photoshop since the 1990s. It was a great tool that helped me accomplish my goals. It still is.

The misunderstanding surrounding its Terms of Use has me wondering. How far will an app go to serve us and itself?

It’s no longer paranoia to think a software company would use our content for profit. And governing bodies can’t act swiftly enough to stop it. It’s the wild west out there. Companies will experiment and go as far as they can.

So, perhaps it’s no longer about using the most powerful tool for the job. Now, it’s about using tools that respect users.

App developers should be clear about their intentions. And, if they are feeding content to AI models, they should allow users to opt out. The process for doing so should be simple.

There’s a market for apps with a privacy-first focus. We see this with web browsers like Firefox and DuckDuckGo. That’s a roadmap for creative apps and publishing platforms to follow.

The New Reality of Content Creation

There’s always been some risk when publishing online. Anyone could copy your work and call it their own. Or they could redistribute your work in an unapproved manner. It’s frustrating, for sure. But we’ve learned to live with it.

These days, the concern is how and where we create. Do we own our content – or are we expected to share ownership? What rights do we have? What does all of the legalese in the Terms of Service mean?

The answers may deter some of us from publishing. That’s a shame because the internet is the perfect medium for sharing ideas.

In reality, we should think twice before using a tool or platform. As creators, we need to know what we’re getting into.

The situation also underscores the importance of free, open-source software (FOSS). Platforms like WordPress ensure content ownership and portability. Integration with AI is optional – even if blocking content scrapers isn’t automatic.

The bottom line is to do your homework. Find tools that respect your privacy and rights to ownership, and avoid the ones that go too far.

We can’t control everything in this industry, but we can make informed choices. For now, it’s our best option.

The post The Fight to Own Your Creative Content appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

It has become more important to think about the tools we use. Nowhere is this more evident than in online privacy. The potential ramifications are serious.

That’s due to a combination of factors. First, there is more awareness of privacy issues. Regulations such as GDPR also play a role. And we can’t forget about opportunistic people. Many are testing boundaries with lawsuits.

As usual, web designers are caught in the middle. Some features we routinely implement for clients have become controversial. And we’re often the first point of contact when a problem arises. It’s awkward at best – and extremely stressful at worst.

So, how can we navigate this treacherous minefield? Here’s how online privacy is impacting web designers – and what we can do about it.

What’s at Stake for Web Designers?

Web designers often act as a liaison between clients and third-party services. That puts us in a unique position when it comes to privacy.

No, we’re not the ones tracking the site’s users. But we implement such software. Therefore, it’s important to understand our risks and responsibilities.

Imagine a scenario where a lawsuit is filed against your client. Someone is claiming that the client’s website (which you built) is violating privacy laws.

A reasonable client likely wouldn’t blame you. After all, you don’t control the data collection policies of another company.

But not everyone is reasonable or rational. They may be looking for an easy scapegoat. And you could be a target.

The outcome could be costly both mentally and monetarily. And it could impact your business immeasurably.

It’s bad enough if this type of incident happens once. But what’s to stop it from happening again?

Your risk would be multiplied by every website you build. It might drive up the cost of doing business. Or it could convince you to leave the industry altogether.

No one wants that. So, how do we minimize the possibility?

Recognize the Risk of Third-Party Tools

Third-party tools have long been a part of web design. We add social media feeds. And we help clients gauge site traffic via analytics.

We perform these tasks over and over. But how many of us have considered the impact?

Privacy concerns are nothing new. The issues posed by Facebook, Google, etc., have been discussed for years.

But it feels like those discussions were very broad. We’ve talked about the policies and practices of these companies. However, not much is said about what it means to the average website.

The focus has narrowed. It’s not unusual for website owners to be singled out by lawyers. And in many cases, a third-party tool is part of the alleged violation.

This is a mess for web designers and their clients. Therefore, the days of adding these features by default are over.

Discuss Online Privacy With Your Clients

Clients may not understand the correlation between online privacy and their website. Thus, it’s worth discussing third-party tracking tools with them.

The idea isn’t to dissuade them from using these tools. Rather, it’s about making them aware of the implications. For example, giving them a broad outline of what Facebook Pixel is used for.

This empowers them to make an informed decision. In some cases, a tool may offer more risk than reward.

Also, some industries have stringent privacy regulations. The healthcare and government sectors, for example, may rule out the use of certain tools.

And there are some questions web designers can’t answer. We’re not lawyers. Therefore, encourage your clients to seek an expert opinion when necessary.

Proactively discussing these issues brings them to the forefront. Hopefully, that will lead to more focus on privacy.

Service Providers Must Evolve With Privacy Standards

We could forgo the use of analytics, ad networks, and social media. But that’s not realistic. Each of these areas is still important. They help with decision-making, marketing, and revenue.

There are alternative services that focus on privacy, however. For example, analytics apps that don’t log user-specific information. And you might use federated social networks that don’t track a user’s every move.

The downside is that clients may be giving up some advanced features. Not to mention the reach offered by the biggest names in these spaces.

That’s why service providers must evolve. Neither website owners nor web designers should be put at risk by using these tools. Instead, they should be confident that they’re doing right by users (and the law).

Google Analytics 4 is a step in the right direction. It eschews much of the user-specific data of its predecessor. Yet there are still questions regarding compliance with GDPR and other regulations.

It behooves big data providers to take privacy seriously. Otherwise, the risk of using their products will be too high.

Privacy Is Yet Another Web Battleground

There’s no shortage of challenges for web designers. Privacy has taken its rightful place alongside security and accessibility. Each has real-world consequences.

And like those other two concerns, there are steps we can take to mitigate risk. Caution and communication are the keys.

First, we must understand how privacy is impacted by third-party tools and services. We can scrutinize them and avoid the worst offenders.

Secondly, we can use our role as educators to keep clients informed. We can make them aware of privacy concerns so that they can act accordingly.

It’s also important to protect ourselves. That means including language about privacy in contracts. And also pointing clients toward legal professionals for advice.

None of this is simple. But it’s a growing part of what freelancers and small agencies must manage.

The post How Online Privacy Is Impacting Web Designers appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

In this post, we will explore the various facets of online privacy by looking at how browsers and websites track a user’s online activity and suggest a few tips on how you can limit the extent of such tracking.

Didn’t you know? Your browser’s watching you

It is common knowledge that browsers track user activity including the websites you visit and any data you enter such as username, passwords or online forms. In fact, this is how Browser History works and you are able to access your profile on Facebook, for instance, without having to login each time. Of course, saving passwords is not activated by default, so you have nothing to panic about!

You might have also heard about cookies and what they do. There are several types of cookies but it is not within the purview of this post to discuss each of them. So, all you need to know is cookies are tiny bits of data requested from a website and stored by the browser. When you access a webpage in the same domain, later, your browser sends these cookies to the website. Cookies facilitate browsing by remembering which pages you visited, your login status, website-specific preferences etc, and so, are not necessarily bad.

Browsers also keep track of your searches. For instance, when you begin to type a search keyword in the address-cum-search bar in Chrome or Firefox, the browser automatically displays a list of possible websites and searches from your web and search histories, respectively, that seem to match your input.

So, what’s cookie-ing behind my back?

All this information, your browsing/search history, form data and website settings, is stored both in the company’s servers, whose browsers you use, as well as on your computer. While these firms are themselves bound by stringent privacy policies and wouldn’t run the risk of facing lawsuits and losing business, there is no saying why unauthorized entities or more bluntly put, hackers, cannot or would not steal such data by hacking these servers.

Indeed, it’s quite a possibility, although chances are infinitesimally small, simply because you are one among countless Internet users. Unless you are a prominent figure and the whole world is watching your every move, why would anyone care what you are up to?

A case in point would be the recent hack and leak of user passwords on the professional, social networking site, LinkedIn. The company confirms this report and encourages users to change their passwords. To make things clear, the hack has nothing to do with any browser or LinkedIn itself, but is most likely the work of an unauthorized party.

How browsers transmit information to their servers also decides the vulnerability of your data. For instance, popular browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Opera, RockMelt etc, which are based on the WebKit layout engine, are by consequence, insecure. This is not so with Internet Explorer (IE), which supports 128-bit encryption of all data passing to or from its’ servers, making it a tough nut to crack. Therefore, online transactions are a tad more secure on IE than browsers of mass appeal.

Spying? Not in my backyard!

Most browsers offer users an ‘Options’ (on Firefox), ‘Settings’ (on Chrome) or ‘Preferences’ (on Safari) feature, enabling them to fine-tune privacy settings to match their comfort level. So, you can clear browser history & cookies, selectively block third-party cookies, JavaScript & plug-ins and choose whether or not to let websites track you (Say hello to ‘Do not Track’!). Let’s break it down.

Third-party cookies are data sent by third-party sites that host their content, eg: ads, on a website you visit. These cookies track your browsing pattern and send this info to advertising companies, which then serve you targeted ads. You can disable this, selectively or entirely.

In this context, it is important to distinguish between cookies stored on your computer and those logged at the browser company’s servers. Even though you can clear cookies at your end, those maintained on company servers stay intact. This is something browser vendors don’t want you to know.

JavaScript and plug-ins (also called extensions) enable browsers to display graphic-rich content and improve the latter’s functionality. However, along with legit software, programmers can include small bits of code to track your browsing, mouse activity or keystrokes. It is easy to imagine what someone with malicious intent could do with such data. Here again, you can disable these features if you want to. Unfortunately, this also means you will not be able to access the full functionality of websites that use JavaScript or plug-ins, and there are many of them. It’s a better idea to steer clear of plug-ins not endorsed by a trusted entity or online users.

‘Do not Track‘ is a feature implemented by some browsers such as Firefox, IE and Opera, with the notable exception of Chrome, which makes your desire to not-be-tracked known to websites you visit using these browsers. As of now, this is not legally binding, thus, it is entirely up to the website to choose to respect your wishes. Twitter does it. Facebook does not.

Cheer up! There’s a good side

Speaking of user tracking, it is necessary to emphasize not all tracking is harmful per se. As mentioned earlier, browser history, form data memory and cookies facilitate web surfing, making it easier and quicker to access frequently visited websites. JavaScript and plug-ins enrich your browsing experience.

Many, in fact, most websites track visitors, especially when you are logged into their site. What are they looking for? Your browsing pattern. These websites are trying to decipher your likes, dislikes, interests and online behavior in order to serve sponsored ads you might be interested in, or aggregate data on user experience to improve web design and layout.

Remember how you ‘liked’, commented on or shared an article you read on a favorite site? This is made possible through social plug-ins, which, in addition to their primary function of generating a ‘social’ dimension to your online activity, also keep a record of everything you do on these websites. Nothing sinister in that. Have you noticed how relevant ads show up in your Facebook page or even your Gmail account? You might even have clicked on one of them and found a new service or product you didn’t know about. Doesn’t sound all that bad, does it?

Some websites attempt to track a user’s physical location, again, to optimize user experience. Sounds spooky? You can opt out of it, depending on which browser you use.
You can’t really blame websites for monitoring your activity and interests for advertising purposes. After all, websites do need to monetize to stay in business.

It’s not over yet!

Without meaning to generalize, browsers, websites and search engines are all partners in the tracking game, making it difficult to identify when one’s tracking ends and another’s begins. This is more so the case today, with search engine giants such as Google diversifying into the browser arena and many other online services. Tracking by search engines opens up what most people consider yet another Pandora’s Box and warrants a separate discussion.

What’s the takeaway point?

Yes, browsers, websites and search engines have a wealth of data on you, and it is possible to stitch all of it together to build a portrait, however vague. But, to burst your ‘lack-of-privacy bubble’, such ‘portraits’ can’t be put to much use by these companies, save making some quick money through sponsored ads. So, unless your account is hacked into or your computer invaded by malware, you needn’t be worried.

Nonetheless, if the assurance you’re getting the maximum privacy possible makes you more comfortable, tune your browser privacy settings accordingly and logout of services before using a search engine. You can also try apps such as ‘Do Not Track Plus’ to prevent websites from tracking you; make sure, these are trusted apps and do not themselves track users.

Ultimately, you are responsible for your own privacy. After all, no one is sharing any data other than what you have fed. Every online service has a privacy policy, but who has ever gone through pages of tiresome legalese before signing up? While that might not be feasible, you can definitely exercise more caution in your digital life and breathe easy with the knowledge no one’s out to get you. Safe browsing!

The post Bursting the ‘Online Privacy is extinct’ bubble – What you need to know appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.