How To Increase Your Online Privacy
If you’re one of the millions of people who have a strong online presence, chances are that you’re concerned about your online safety. The Internet is a nice place to be, but it’s not the safest. You may have heard of horror stories regarding identity theft, data encryption, and many other problems associated with online privacy. This is because almost every piece of information seems to be out there, and readily accessible to those who have the means to. There’s very little gatekeeping left, and if you aren’t careful, your online privacy has already fallen prey to online hackers.
Netizens have acknowledged this problem, and there are now various safeguards in place to protect your online privacy. There are several steps that you can take to further safeguard your privacy, and some of these are the following:
- Avoid Posting Confidential Information
No, you don’t need to post your address as part of your Facebook profile. Neither do you need to take a screenshot of your driver’s license and work ID when you’re on-the-go? If you want to take a photo of your passport along with your boarding pass as part of your collection of travel photos, then by all means leave out the front page. Also, skip posting your credit card details just to show you’re shopping.
These are all examples of confidential information that shouldn’t even make its way onto the Internet. These details should be kept on your personal computer or secured with a password on your email account. Your computer should be kept well protected, and not left connected to a public network where other people could gain access to your information.
- Activate The DNT Settings On Your Browser
DNT stands for “Do Not Track.” If you go through the settings on your browser, you’ll find that it’s very easy for you to enable this. When this setting is enabled, you’re sending the signal to third-party partners and websites that you don’t want your online activity to be saved and tracked.
Activating this can help you avoid these common cybersecurity mistakes and fraudulent activities:
- Phishing, whereby criminals pretend to be reputable financial institutions, tricking you into keying in sensitive information, for them to save and use later on
- Pharming refers to the act of hijacking information in your online activities through the form of a virus or malicious software without you knowing
- Keep Your Passwords To Yourself
If you have various online accounts, then you’re one of those who are highly dependent on passwords. You may already have heard of the all-too-familiar advice never to have just one password for all of your online accounts.
As you apply this, also be cautious about the devices in which you have all these passwords saved. If you share mobile devices with someone else, then make it a habit to log out of your accounts, more so if you’re sharing a common computer or, worse, you’re logging in or making transactions through a public computer or device.
Aside from safeguarding your passwords, here are some other helpful tips to remember:
- Make it a point to use long and difficult passwords, as these are more difficult to hack.
- Enable two-factor authentication for your online accounts.
- Incorporate special characters in your online passwords.
- Never save your passwords in an email or computer file, as these are effortless to hack.
- Never use personal information as your password.
Learn more about other security features you can enable by visiting securitygladiators.com.
- Manage Your App Tracking
Mobile phone apps are being used increasingly, as many individuals have now become even more dependent on smartphones. You just have to be very careful not to enable apps that track all of your activities.
Take time to go through your phone settings and manage all of your apps. This will enable you to have more control over what you’re sharing, and what’s being tracked on your apps. One of the most important of these is your location. Don’t enable location tracking on apps that don’t necessarily need it.
- Be Very Cautious About Your Digital Footprint
Digital footprint refers to what you leave on the Internet through your social media sites, shopping apps, and other websites where you register information.
Especially with social media sites, even if you eventually delete the posts and photos, it’s there forever in their system. This is precisely why you don’t need to post a hundred photos every week. As much as you can, leave very little traces of information about yourself online.
Conclusion
Even when you’re a public figure or social media star, there are certain types of information that you should keep private. The Internet is a very risky place, as you never know who’s stalking your account, or going through every single post that you have. Next thing you know, your credit card may have been used for scams, and strangers now know where you live. The tips enumerated above can help maintain a high level of online privacy even as you enjoy all the activities the Internet has to offer.
