What traces do you leave online?
All around us where we walk, we are filmed by surveillance cameras. At the store, an entrance or at a shopping centre. Your mobile phone regularly sends signals to the nearest base station. You post posts and stories on Instagram that clearly show where you are. You share Snapmap and "Where is" on the iPhone. Your friends list is open so that everyone can see who you have on the list, and based on comments on your profile picture, can know who is closest to you.
Many people think that it is not so dangerous to share such information, but there is always someone who can take advantage of it. When you post that you are at the cabin, the burglar enjoys knowing that you are all away from home. We have also started buying smart home products, and everything that connects to the internet in the home stores information.
So what are you actually sharing openly with everyone? What should one share and not share? You can read more about privacy settings HERE .
In Norway, we are lucky and have laws and regulations to protect us from how much information the company and authorities are allowed to obtain about us. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority was established in 1980 to ensure our right to privacy. In Europe, we also have GDPR, which should give us more control over our own data.
Some may experience being watched by their own partner or others. Some people are morbidly concerned with what their boyfriend or ex is doing online, and can go so far as to install stalkerware/spyware on their phone to keep up. You can read more about digital violence and stalkerware/spyware HERE .