Understanding Visual Content Privacy Leaks and its Dangers

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Understanding Visual Content Privacy Leaks and its Dangers
Introduction
In the age of technology, we all have been exchanging conversations and pieces of information through social media networks as it is the most convenient media. Technological advancement in communication has allowed us to reach people, even from another side of the world, within seconds. Unlike the old days when telegrams would take weeks before arriving at the receiver, technologies made transactions faster and accessible to everyone. Today, even calls have allowed us to see the people to who we are talking. Also, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram enable us to post real-time pictures, videos, and status of ourselves or other people. It means that I can post photos, videos, or any content on my social media accounts immediately after taking them. That is how quickly technology has become over the past years.
However, progress and convenience come with consequences of which we are all potential victims. Because of the easier access that the digital era has given us, malicious intents and actions have also become more convenient and modern. One of the possible internet frauds that anyone can fall victim to is privacy leaks in social media. Privacy leak is the publicity, accidental or not, of personal information or identity through visual contents that are released online. Accidental exposition of information may be posting your credit bill for the vanity without blurring or hiding your card number or other personal details (DeHart and Grant). People who are unaware of the sensitiveness of their information would often commit this accident. Another form of leaked information is hacking of social media accounts that contain private data like birth dates and addresses (Squicciarini, Caragea, and Balakavi). These instances of personal information leakage may cause so much trouble, which could cost anyone, not just money but also lives.
Visual Privacy Content Leaks
A study (DeHart and Grant) has categorized visual contents that often leak online. Leak contents would most likely carry pieces of information that belong to any of the three categories.
The first category is the location. Today, social media platforms, as well as other technological devices, have a feature that enables a person to tag, pin, and show their current location. Most of them would also list the history of your whereabouts. Publicizing your location could hint at the places you frequent and expose information about you (DeHart and Grant). People may identify which bank you go to, which mall, or in which area you live. By exposing your whereabouts, you may attract ill-intent people that target people on the spot.
Identity is the second category that classifies leaks about private pieces of information as well as personal identification. This category includes names, birthdate, address, signatures, and even fingerprint. Leaking personal identification details may lead to more serious issues like identity theft, and deception of other people (DeHart and Grant). Scammers may use your identity to take advantage of other people's money, and property, leaving you with a responsibility you did not do. Exposition of such det...