International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences (IJEAS) ISSN: 2394-3661, Volume-4, Issue-8, August 2017 61 www.ijeas.org Abstract— The benefits of the Internet have come at some cost, one of which is a loss of privacy, which is often regarded as a moral right or a legal right. Internet privacy is primarily concerned with protecting user information. It is widely acknowledged as the top consideration in any online interaction. New threats to privacy and civil liberties are emerging daily and privacy practices are not one size fits all. This paper provides a brief introduction to online privacy. Index Terms— Internet privacy, online privacy, information privacy, database privacy I. INTRODUCTION The concept of privacy is deeply rooted in modern civilizations. It has been a sensitive issue even before the advent of computers. Now the Internet is invading private space and it is having a profound impact on aspects of our lives, patterns of work, the means whereby we interact, with whom we interact, and the cultures within which we live. Privacy can be classified into four types: privacy of personal data, physical privacy, territorial privacy, and the privacy of communications [1]. New technologies are making it easier for governments and corporations to monitor our online activities like never before. These infringements on personal privacy have devastating implications for our right to privacy. Privacy protects us from abuses by those in power. China, for example, is well known for its policy of censorship when it comes to the spread of information through public media channels. Privacy can be understood as a specific form of freedom and therefore the same measures apply to both. Privacy is the right to an inviolable private life. Internet privacy (or online privacy) consists of privacy over the media of the Internet: the ability to control what information one reveals about oneself over the Internet and to control who can access that information. Protecting information privacy in the United States is largely the responsibility of individuals who are expected to guard their personal information and minimize the risk that it will be used in an unauthorized way [2]. However, it is difficult for individuals to police their privacy violations. Matthew N. O. Sadiku, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering Prairie View A&M University Prairie View, TX 77446 Sarhan M. Musa, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering Prairie View A&M University Prairie View, TX 77446 Osama M. Musa, Ashland Inc. Bridgewater, NJ 08807 II. PRIVACY BREACHES There are many ways in which people can divulge their personal information. For example, sending bank and credit card information to various websites. Using a social network such as Facebook and MySpace can automatically provide intrusive details about an individual, such as sexual orientation, political and religious views, race, substance use, intelligence, and personality. Social networking sites have received a lot of attention concerning breaches of privacy of their users. Privacy settings are available on other social networking sites and the user can apply such settings when providing personal information [3]. Internet of Things (IoT) are everywhere - at homes, in cars, in hospitals, etc. IoT connects everyday objects such as thermostats, door locks, webcams, televisions, alarms, garage openers, power outlets, sprinklers, etc. However, all those benefits can come of the risks of privacy loss and security issues. Today teenagers will spend the equivalent of 23 years of their lifetime on the Internet; I0 years of that span will be spent on social networking sites. Most these teens are unaware and unconcerned about protecting their privacy online [4]. As privacy invasion among teens increases, there is a need to develop effective privacy education for teens and their parents. Data snooping (an electronic version of eavesdropping) is the process of legally or illegally using technology to gain access to personal information about you. Government uses cybersurveillance to monitor criminals or people they want to track. Organizations implement workplace surveillance to ensure that there is no misuse of time and computing resources. Crackers spy on your personal data and use it for malicious intent. For example, an identity theft would snoop to get credit card number and bank account and use them for their own gain. III. ACHIEVING PRIVACY Achieving privacy online is hard. Fulfilling customer privacy requirements is often difficult. Academia, business, and governments have proposed a range of solutions for information privacy and security problems which currently plague the Internet. A number of technologies have been developed in order to achieve information privacy goals. Some of these Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PET) are described as follows:  Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are extranets established by business partners. As only partners have access, they promise to be confidential and have integrity.  Transport Layer Security (TLS), based on an appropriate global trust structure, could also improve confidentiality and integrity.  DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) make use of public-key cryptography to sign resource records in Internet Privacy Matthew N. O. Sadiku, Sarhan M. Musa, Osama M. Musa