7 Tips for Protecting Your Privacy Online
It’s never been more important to find ways of protecting your privacy online.
Why? Because the threat and fallout of cybercrime are getting worse every year!
In 2019, for instance, cyberattacks caused a combined monetary loss of $3.5 billion. With the tactics and technology of cybercriminals getting ever more advanced, the potential for trouble is only going in one direction.
Thankfully, there are numerous steps you can take to protect your digital privacy and avoid these kinds of issues. Want to stay safe on the internet, steer clear of prying eyes, and keep your data away from cybercriminals? Let us help!
Keep reading for 7 top tips to protect yourself and your online privacy.
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1. Install Internet Security/Antivirus Software
Think about the front door of your house for a second. What’s the number one thing it needs to keep you, your family, and everything inside your property safe?
A solid, high-quality locking mechanism! Sure, it won’t keep out everybody. But it’s enough to keep the majority of wrongdoers at bay.
The same is true in terms of installing internet security on any device from which you connect to the internet. Without it, you’re leaving yourself open to attack. Viruses and hackers can both run amock, causing havoc with nothing to stop them.
Make sure you get some quality internet security ASAP. It’ll monitor the device at all times, keep any data that you’ve stored on the device(s) safe, and provide a line of defense against malware and cybercriminals.
2. Use Strong Passwords
If internet security is the lock, then your password is the door itself. Without it, anybody can waltz right in and run amok.
However, not all passwords are made equal. When you’re setting up accounts for anything online, make sure that you formulate strong passwords that somebody couldn’t just guess. Needless to say, ‘Password’, ‘12345678’, or your birthday wouldn’t cut it.
The best passwords are lengthy and include a combination of letters, symbols, and numbers. Make sure you use different passwords for different accounts as well.
Oh, and avoid the temptation of keeping a written record of them somewhere. All the effort of creating strong, unique passwords would be for nothing if somebody found the document on which you store them! Use an online vault, such as LastPass, instead.
3. Go Incognito
Anybody looking for higher levels of privacy online should consider browsing in incognito mode. This private browsing feature is an effective way to limit the information about you that gets stored and keeps your safer online at the same time.
Browsing through an ordinary window opens the door to cookies and pop-ups. The URLs you visit get saved and a trail of your history is left in the process. You can close the windows down, but all that data is still working away in the background.
Want to cover your tracks? You have to go into your settings and manually delete everything. Going incognito removes those issues and disables extensions that could be vulnerable to attack.
4. Stick to HTTPS
See the URL showing at the top of your web browser? Go ahead and click on it. Can you see an ‘HTTP’ or an ‘HTTPS’ at the very beginning?
If it’s HTTPS, then you’re good to go! Your connection to the website is secured, which makes it harder for someone to come along and cause trouble.
By the same token, do your best to avoid frequenting HTTP sites.
Now, with any luck, your internet security will highlight this when you’re browsing the web. Keep your eyes peeled anything though. Hackers can intervene as they please, steal your data, install malware, and/or intercept your activity.
5. Leverage a Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network (VPN) is another important way to safeguard your privacy online.
However, it’s downright pivotal when you don’t have a secure Wi-Fi network available. Connecting to an open network instead is asking for trouble. There’s no encryption in place, which makes it incredibly easy for someone to intercept anything you send and/or infiltrate your device(s).
A VPN provides that all-important encryption and prevents all that nastiness from happening. If you purchase and use a VPN, then you’re a step closer to staying safe from prying eyes online.
6. Change Your Location Settings
Or, in other words, turn off your GPS. Don’t, and your device (AKA you) can easily be tracked.
You’d be amazed at how many apps on your phone track your location. Some of them (such as your social media platforms) even post where you are, advertising your whereabouts to whoever might be watching. Say goodbye to anonymity!
Changing your location settings should prevent all that from happening.
More importantly, though, it means that marketing companies, government agencies, and internet criminals can’t see where you are at any given time.
In a similar way, Apple users could turn off find my iPhone. Of course, this would remove the option of finding a phone that’s been stolen or lost. But it also stops other people hacking in and checking your location.
Our final suggestion is to limit how much information you share about yourself in the first place.
More specifically, avoid oversharing on social media. First, we suggest setting your accounts to private in order to prevent random people from learning about your life. From there, cut down on how much information you disclose to the world.
Remember, the more you share, the more people know. In the wrong hands, that data can be used against you. Identity thieves can glean everything they need to access your finances, set up accounts in your name, and so on.
Remember These Tips for Protecting Your Privacy Online
Protecting your privacy on the internet is the name of the game these days.
Individuals and business alike must be proactive in safeguarding their data and keeping cybercriminals at bay. Don’t, and it’s all too easy for anyone with the right skills to hack, steal, track, and cause general trouble all-around.
Learning how to stay safe is the best way to avoid the financial, practical, and emotional implications that can arise thereafter. Hopefully, this post will help you do exactly that.
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