Frequently Asked Questions
- When I publish information on the web, who does it belong to?
Read privacy statement and terms & conditions, this should inform you. - Who owns an image/photograph of me that is posted online?
The person who took the photo owns it unless they have agreed something different. - Who owns the rights over an image of me that I have placed online?
Unless you have signed website terms of use that say something different, then you own the rights over an image that you have placed on line. Note that many websites have terms of use that say that anything that you post will belong to them so take care! - If I post an anonymous comment on some bodies page, can they find out who I am?
Yes they can, via the IP address. An IP address of the computer that you used to access the site will be available to the site owner. This could be used to trace you.
Cyber trails – you always leave a trace - How do I delete information online?
Who published it? If you were not the person who posted the information then ask them to remove it, see below on how to find the website owner. If this is inappropriate, then you could speak to service provider. - What can be done if I upload an image online without that person’s consent?
You should always always ask for the person’s consent before posting information online. Once an image is uploaded, it is no longer private and could end up anywhere. So it is important to be aware of your privacy settings and the access other users may have to your page. - What should I do if a company requests information to send advertising material?
Make sure you trust the company; normally you have a choice. It is important to check the privacy policy of the company and look at how they intend to use your information?Does it explicitly state that the information will be kept confidential and not handed over to a 3rd Party? - How can I prevent receiving unsolicited emails?
You have the right to object to the processing of your data for the purposes of direct marketing. Speak to your internet service provider and ask them to install a mail filter or contact one of the associations devoted to preventing junk email, eg, www.spamfree.org - Your phone provider gave information about you to another company and you now receive unsolicited phone calls and/or emails. What can you do?
If information was collected for billing purposes alone and you did not consent to a further transfer of your data, you are entitled to object to the transfer of your data to any 3rd party. First write to your provider stating your complaint and if the problem persists, contact the national supervising authority. - I keep recieving online requests for photo/information?
Never send a picture of yourself to somebody you met online or don’t actually know in person as digital images can be kept forever and can be changed easily. - What is cyber bullying and how can I stop it?
Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others.
If you want to take action, we suggest you follow the steps:
- Save the evidence, emails/messages etc.
- Contact the service provider from which the emails were sent.
- Further advice may be found at www.bullying.co.uk - How can I reduce my chances of identity theft?
Be careful about the information that you share online, for instance, address, date of birth, passwords, logon details, photos.
- Ensure that you use a secure network.
- Be wary of using public computers to access sensitive information such as logging onto online banking.
- Choose good, strong passwords using a mixture of letters and numbers.
- Do not use words that can be easily guessed or passwords that can be found in a dictionary. - How do I find the owner of a website?
The details of the owners of .uk sites may be found through www.nominet.org.uk ,for other sites use a search engine and search “whois” to find a database to trace the owner. - What is phishing?
Phishing is an attempt to gain information using emails and websites that impersonate a genuine one, for instance an email from a bank, or other service provider.
- Do not reply, this will show your email address to be valid.
- Do not use any links contained within the email
- Do not be tricked into providing your logon details / password or other sensitive data, genuine banks will not ask you to tell them your login or password details.