Privacy is something that most people require and practice today. Whenever you lock the doors of your house, slide the window curtain to prevent neighbors from looking in, or cover your face when somebody takes a picture of you, you’re protecting your privacy.
However, locking the door won’t protect your digital privacy. With the emerging popularity of social networks, more and more people spend a lot of time online. If you’re also one of these people, protecting your online privacy should be one of your top priorities.
Luckily, there are many ways to protect the data you share online. Today, we’re going to list some tips on how to improve your digital privacy and safely surf the internet, entertainment sites, and social networks within ten minutes.
Here are the quickest solutions that can improve and fully protect your personal information when going online, no matter if you’re using your mobile device in a coffee shop or you’re at home reading news on your laptop.
Limit the data you share
All the data you share online stays online forever. Even if a digital service removes data after a specific time, there might be snapshots or copies made. Thus, you have limited control of the information you expose.
Next time you decide to post on your social media profile, keep that in mind. If you’re oversharing personal info on social media, you’re just making it easier for hackers to steal your data and identity.
Remember to explore the privacy settings and research what you don’t have to fill out in the “About me” section. Be careful what you share, and don’t accept friends and followers you don’t know.
Use private browsers
Typically, most web browsers have the private browsing mode. Chrome calls its private browser Incognito Mode, Firefox has a Private Browsing section, and Explorer offers InPrivate Browsing. Another way to protect your digital safety is to browse privately.
Private browsing options help you search online information in private mode and avoid collecting unnecessary files and cookies. They are also great for preventing the browser from remembering your browsing history. In other words, you can surf the internet without worrying that someone will be able to track your data and compromise your digital security.
However, incognito mode or similar counterparts are not entirely private. Thus, it is best to consider getting privacy-focused browsers that prioritize users’ comfort above everything else. They typically have features aimed at improving your digital lifestyle. The best part is that most of them are enabled by default, meaning that users won’t need to perform manual changes.
Block location tracking
If you’re mainly using a mobile device when browsing, you should consider the location issue. Most apps and websites ask you for permission to use your personal and location data, which many people accept very lightly, not even considering the possible outcome.
When using Google maps, turning on a location tracker on your phone makes sense. However, you shouldn’t share this information with websites and apps that don’t need your location to provide you with the required services.
To protect your digital safety, go to settings and disable location services. You can even selectively access certain apps to use your location if needed.
Use a quality VPN
A Virtual Private Network is probably the best tool to protect your digital privacy while browsing. It ensures that each data exchange happens safely and your location is not revealed to any web entity. Such tools serve to create a virtual “bridge” between the server and the user.
In other words, VPN encrypts your data and allows you to surf the internet without revealing too much. Furthermore, a VPN download takes mere minutes, and once you connect to VPN servers, the app will do all the leg work for you. It will also modify your IP address every time you try to access a website, protecting your location.
Use two-factor authentication
Even though most people think two-factor password authentication is boring and not beneficial, this option can do wonders for your digital safety. You can secure all the accounts you have online and prevent people from accessing your personal data.
Password authentication offers you an additional layer of safety if someone hacks your password. This service works by adding questions or confirmation codes to an existing password. Not even you can access your data and applications unless you have the confirmation code/answer. It is also better to use 2FA apps instead of receiving SMS messages with temporary tokens.
Practice safe browsing
The easiest way for hackers to endanger people’s privacy while browsing is phishing. Scammers and hackers use phishing to trick people into sharing their personal and financial information so that they can steal your identity and access your bank accounts or credit card information.
On the other hand, many fake websites with suspicious links and ads can compromise one’s digital safety. Use the internet carefully and safely, check the reliability of sites you visit, and don’t fall for fake marketing.
Practice responsible browsing if you want to prevent cybercriminals from accessing valuable information or compromising your digital safety.
Conclusion
The times when only big companies had a problem with cybercriminals are long gone. The truth is that more and more people are becoming targets of cyber-attacks and hackers. As you can see, protecting digital safety is not that hard. Just follow the steps from our simple guide, and you’ll be ready to browse safely in less than ten minutes.
