How To Protect Your Privacy On The Internet

If you’re reading this, you’re online. You know you’re online, but a few others do, too. Your internet service provider, marketers, the government, and maybe (this is just a maybe) cybercriminals also know you’re online at the moment and that you’re reading this.

Check the privacy of your social media accounts

Social media apps are free to use, yet they’re worth billions of dollars. That’s because they’re collecting and selling your data to marketers. These platforms will always be interested in getting more of your data rather than protecting it. That’s why you need to take matters into your own hands. You don’t need to delete your accounts. But you can check the privacy settings and pay attention to your behavior.

Make sure no app is tracking your geolocation data. Don’t post everything from your life. Cybercriminals have three sources of information from your social media accounts. First is your profile. Second is your content. The third is how you interact with other content. The likes and comments you make show up in search results, even if your account is set to private.

Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication

Your email has data that can be used to steal your entire identity and your finances. There’s information about your Social Security Number, home address, social media logins, and bank account details. A password is the only thing that stands between hackers and all of that personal data. Here are a few things you can do to make them stronger:

–          Use a password manager. It’s an easier way to create strong passwords, keep them secure, and ensure you use a different one for every account. You’ll only need to remember one master password to unlock them all.

–          Always enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). Apart from the password, you can add another layer of security to your accounts with MFA. Even if cybercriminals breach your password, they’ll still need your device to get the code to log in.

–          Enable auto-lock on all of your devices. Make sure your phone locks after 30 seconds of inactivity or immediately. With face recognition or fingerprint sensors, you can unlock the device in less than a second.

Be careful what you allow apps to track

Any app that you use has privacy settings. Open them one by one and see what data they track. You’ll be surprised to see how big your digital footprint is. Apps are rarely careful with their users’ data, which is why they get breached constantly. Since it’s not a matter of if but when your data will get exposed to the dark web, here are some things you can do.

–          Share as little as possible. Whenever you create accounts, only put in the necessary information, never the optional.

–          Create a throwaway email. Use a fake email address to create new accounts. Use that throwaway email address for subscriptions, random apps, and random websites. You don’t want your actual email to fall into the wrong hands.

Use a VPN

A VPN is the most necessary security tool you can have on your device. It’s a must because it encrypts your internet traffic. No marketer, internet service provider, government, or hacker will know what you’re browsing or what you’re doing. Plus, VPNs put a lock and key over your data. So, even if these entities get their hands on some information, they will only read jumbled text.

VPNs often include an ad blocker, which is an absolute necessity. The internet nowadays looks like a giant online shopping mall, and you get bombarded with ads from every side. For added security, use something like Tor (super slow but super secure) or Brave (fast but not as secure). As an added means of protection, you can also use antivirus software to ensure you check a file for viruses and malicious code before downloading it.

Don’t ignore updates

Most hacks don’t happen because cybercriminals figured out a new way to breach your device. Instead, they focus on people who don’t update their apps and operating systems. They exploit old bugs and vulnerabilities and prey upon people’s laziness.

Not updating devices is one of the top reasons why Windows devices get breached. So, it’s a no-brainer to set up automatic updates. You should do it both for your operating systems and all apps.