Best Practices for Personal Online Privacy

Just how safe is your personal information when you are online? Just because you are not someone who is posting their address and Social Security Number on their social media pages, it does not mean that you are genuinely safe online or that your personal information is fully secure. There are some relatively simple things that you can do that will help to improve your security and privacy on the web, and it is a good idea to implement as many of these as possible right away.

Increase Your Browser’s Privacy Settings

While this is certainly not the only thing you need to do to improve your online safety, it is a good idea to check the privacy settings regardless. It tends to be a decent first line of defense that you can use, and you will find that all Internet browsers will have privacy settings that you can adjust, as needed. Some of the different types of settings that you can change include how much information can be collected and whether cookies can be placed on the computer. This is not the be-all end-all security system for online privacy, but it is a place where you can start.

Remember to check out the other articles about security online.

Encrypt Your Data

If you want all of your information to stay private, then you are going to want to seriously consider data encryption. It is one of the best methods to make sure that your data, even if it is stolen, cannot be read or used. Think about all of the places online that might have some of your data, whether they are companies that you frequent, cloud services that you use, and similar services. You want to make sure that they have strong encryption to help ensure your safety.

In addition to the data that you have, you might also want to consider encrypting your online communications, such as email and chat. There are applications that can be used to allow you to encrypt these online communications.

Use a VPN

VPNs are a great choice for improving personal online privacy, as well, and they tend to have encryption for everything that flows in and out of your computer when you are on the VPN connection. A VPN is a simple and relatively cheap way to get a substantial amount of added privacy. When you are using the VPN, people are not going to be able to see what you are doing online, and they will not have any access to your private information.

Be Sure You Are Using Antimalware and Antivirus Tools

Viruses and malware are a considerable concern even today, and hackers still utilize this type of code as a way to get your personal information. They can get into your system and steal data, often without you knowing that it is occurring. Therefore, it tends to make quite a bit of sense to make sure that you have quality antimalware and antivirus software up and running on all of the devices that you have.

However, you need to be sure that you are keeping the software up to date, of course. Make sure that you check for updates and patches, and that you install them right away. The companies that make the software are always making improvements that are designed to help keep you safer from cyber threats. Having software that is out of date is not going to protect you from the threats out there today.

Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is not given as much praise as it should be for helping to improve security, at least for most people. While there might be some hackers who will be able to get through this type of authentication, you will find that most average people are going to have trouble with it.

When you have two-factor authentication added to your laptop or phone, not only will someone have to enter your password to get into the system, but they will also have to supply some other information on another device in many cases. Other options might be to have a fingerprint scan before the device can be activated and used.

If you have devices that offer this type of authentication, it is a good idea to make use of it. Sure, it does add another step that you will need to take when you use the device but consider the alternatives. Spending an extra minute to get online is a lot better than trying to have your credit fixed because someone stole your identity.

Think About Your Social Networks

Without a doubt, social networks are one of the main reasons that so many people are online today. People like sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They like to be able to keep up with their friends, family, and even with celebrities. However, if you are not careful, you could be putting yourself at risk by using these sites.

You need to be very careful with the privacy settings that you have set up on all of the social media sites that you use. However, you also need to be careful with the things that you say and post online through social media, and other places online for that matter.

When it comes to social media accounts, many people also choose to link their accounts. They want to have their Facebook connected to their Twitter, email and other accounts. While this might seem convenient, it can prove to be problematic, since so much information will be shared between them.

Many people do not realize just how much information they are putting out there on the web. It becomes easy for hackers to get information about you, which they can then use to their advantage. When you aren’t secure, they will get your passwords, your credit card numbers, SSN, and more. It is time to take more control over your online privacy and make sure that you are keeping all of your data as safe as possible.