You can find new technology almost anywhere you look, and the demand is becoming high. Believe it or
not, this demand will still increase as technology improves. No one can deny that these new technologies have made our lives more comfortable, but there are already some drawbacks to these advances.
Some set-backs this new technology brings is data privacy, which has become increasingly problematic over the past years. Many developers have yet to learn how to protect the identity of its users and improve its security measures. You should be careful about the information you disclose and learn how to protect your identity.
Be Careful with Enabling AR or VR on Your Devices
Undeniably, many applications and devices these days are AR and VR capable. The thought of using and integrating AR and VR in our lives is exciting, but the excitement may be short-lived after someone steals your private information. Most likely than not, many of the applications you want to use will ask you to create an account or link it to already existing social media platforms, so you can play and connect with your friends easier.
While it is fun to connect and play with your friends using AR/ VR devices, you have to be careful with the information you share. Doing this is simple, and here are some easy tips:
- Never disclose any personal or critical data on your social media platforms. The same goes for any account which you have to create for your device.
- Be strict with the number of people who you want to connect with on your platform. There are many “phishers” out there, waiting for you to make a mistake.
- Unlink your accounts if you no longer want it to be remembered or connected on your device.
Be Careful Of Invasion of Privacy When Using AR/VR
Your privacy can also be in danger, not just by the data you leave on the internet, but also by your physical actions. Using VR/AR requires some physical activity, and these actions are recorded. Every time you try using a camera filter, it uses AR; and every time you play a VR game, some games require detecting your heartbeat, to personalize the gaming experience for you.
Up to this point, it all sounds good and fun when having something personalized. However, the repetitive physical patterns we exhibit while playing or using AR/VR platforms forms part of our identity which anyone can steal. Some research has shown that your physical behavior may serve as the basis of one’s physical and psychological identity, which make things more dangerous and complicated.
Minimize Leaving Digital Footprints on the Internet
It becomes easy for many “phishers” to steal your personal information after they have observed your digital footprints. Digital footprints are traces of what you leave on the internet, such as a comment and the like. Your prints can create a pattern of your behavior, and may even give anyone a vague idea of your interests and the things you visit.
AR/VR affects privacy because of the digital footprints you leave when you enable or use them on your device. Whether you like it or not, each time you use your AR/VR device, the internet universe gets a vague idea of what you are interested in, as well as the demographic you may be part of. From the set of behavior you leave, the internet can predict your interests
We barely notice it, but rarely do we see something we are not interested in on our social media platforms. We always see something we enjoy or interested in, and we don’t realize this is because technology has already figured out what we experience and what we do not. This behavior alone is a telling sign of how AR/VR affects privacy.
Digital footprints comprise your physical patterns, as well as virtual behavior, and becomes the root of some AR/VR privacy concerns because the footprints you leave behind can do the following:
- Hackers may be able to identify you or gain access to your information;
- Hackers may extort some money from its victims;
- You can become a victim of a duplicate identity.
Protecting Yourself in the Digital World
Just as how cautious you are in the real world, it pays to be equally responsible in the digital virtual. It pays to be accountable so that any AR/VR privacy concerns does not happen. You wouldn’t be able to remove all your digital footprints, but there are some solutions which can help reduce it. Moreover, there is also some way for you to become less susceptible to identity theft, such as the following techniques:
- Knowing who you are connecting with online. Make sure you know the person who wants to communicate with you, or at least be prudent enough to know whether the identity of the person is real or not.
- Never share your personal or vital information online, no matter how close you are to the person. Everyone is susceptible of being hacked, and if you disclose any critical information to anyone online, you will be in trouble.
- Help out other people by reporting accounts which poses a fake identity. Doing this can lessen the number of counterfeit or unverified people online.
The joys AR and VR bring in this world is exhilarating, considering how new the technology is. Many people want to explore the different possibilities and ideas they can do with the technology, but that does not mean one should be irresponsible in doing so. Always make sure to keep your identity online safe, and remain vigilant in using AR/VR technologies.
Reference