Although it is a struggle against all that is done to track us online, it is possible to protect your privacy.
With emails and search history being monetized, data brokers selling our information, and the steady increase in government agencies monitoring all that we do and say.
We then have to mention the hackers and the internet thieves, scammers, who continually try to steal anyone’s personal information for their own dark uses.
There are ways to take back control of our privacy and prevent anyone from snooping or pilfering data and surfing habits.
The Top Online Privacy and Security Tips
Browsers
Browsers are now helping to regain our privacy by introducing incognito mode, which comes in most new web browsers. This is a good start if you do not wish for your surfing sessions to be saved.
Once you have finished, all site history and cookies can be deleted at the flick of a switch, so no one looking can see where you have been or what personal log-in data you have inputted while online.
Ad-Blockers and Tracking
Following private browsing, you can easily install extensions that block all the ads (uBlock Origin) and pop-ups that we are bombarded with.
Not only is this highly irritating it can also lead to your session being tracked by third-party sites which collect your information.
Some of the better ad-blockers include this feature, or you can install a secondary tracker blocker, “Disconnect,” being one of the current best at doing this.
Private and Public Connections
No matter if we are at home or out and about and making the best use of public Wi-Fi zones and public hotspots, hackers are trying to break into any system they can.
The best way to protect against anyone tapping into your connection is by using one of the few trusted VPN services.
Although there are free options available that can be suitable for quick use, it is highly recommended to use one of the better-paid options that give you unlimited data usage with full protection.
A number of these can be installed on newer routers, so it is easy to protect all devices in your home.
These spoof your location so no one can see where you are, which is more important for children. They also tunnel your data so it cannot be tapped into as it is being transmitted.
Malware
On some occasions, users install what might appear to be a harmless piece of software yet, and it contains malware that becomes installed in the background without a user’s knowledge.
This malware has outreached the dangers of a virus infection. They now come with spyware, keyloggers, and much more to scan a system and search for personal or log-in information. Anti-malware software can protect against these types of attacks and much more.
Social Media
These platforms have taken the world by storm and are one of the most widely used application types. With it comes privacy issues of too much information being given to others without a user understanding who can see and make use of what.
One area which is often hacked is a user’s login password, and once someone has access to this, they are free to browse through all the private information a user has stored in their social media account.
Many of these social media sites have settings that will restrict what and who is posted and how visible it is to everyone apart from your friends.
When it comes to security on social networking, there has to be a little common sense used.
Posts should be thought about before they are published as not all platforms are as private as they first appear. Somewhen posted are accessible to Google, and once Google sees it, it is available for anyone to find and remains there forever.
One of the most significant areas of concern over privacy in social networking is the friends you accept. Not everyone is who they say they are, and studies have estimated that 40% of new profiles are fake.
In a world of sharing, you need to be aware of what you are indeed sharing. This is even more important when your children are using social platforms; with such a high percentage of fake profiles, some predators attempt to befriend children for one reason or another.
Private things can be kept private, yet it takes a little effort to put things into place, but this effort will be more than worth it to remain safe and reclaim your privacy.