Due to the ever-increasing number of online social media platforms, data-collection applications and innovative voice-controlled devices, it is becoming substantially more difficult to maintain your privacy both in the physical and in the virtual environment.
The number of online cybercrimes, photo leaks and identity theft cases is constantly rising in our society, but there are still ways that you can utilize to protect yourself and your private information. The following are 6 tips and suggestions that you can implement in order to protect yourself online.
1. Use two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication has recently become more implemented on a global scale by a wider variety of companies. The key advantage of this protective technology is its ability to generate a specific code consisting of numbers, characters and symbols on another device, usually a smartphone or through an email, which is different from the one you are currently using. This specific generated sequence is then required in order to either log into your account or complete a transaction. Initially it was mainly employed by banking entities and transaction-conducting applications, however, due to its high success rate in terms of protection, an increasing number of companies have started to incorporate it into their systems as a software protection measure.
2. Avoid using location tracking devices and apps
Number 2 on our list is something that is becoming increasingly more difficult to avoid and it is to avoid using the geo-tracking features that most devices and applications present you with. If this information happens to fall into the wrong hands, it can reveal many unwanted patterns about your everyday life, not to mention the substantial breach of your privacy. It was not that long ago when the Strava incident occurred, where a number of secret military bases were located due to the heatmaps that the app generated as a result of its use.
3. Share less on social media
Society and our community can be defined by the incredible amount of content that is posted and generated online. Social media platforms are no exception to this due to their ability to allow people to express their opinions and share information about themselves publicly. However, this is exactly the place where a potential identity theft case might occur. Due to the rich abundance of readily-available data in these locations, social media platforms are the first spot a potential criminal will examine in order to obtain valuable and personal information that they can exploit for their own personal benefit. Additionally, there have been cases in the past where social media platforms have willingly sold user data or unintentionally leaked. This is not to say that you should completely stop using social media, but just a reminder that you need to be careful and mindful of the information that you share online.
4. Make sure to read websites’ privacy policies
You have most certainly heard about cookies and you are most likely presented with a pop-up to accept them every time you go on a website for the first time. Cookies contain information about your session and browser as well as your device and can be potentially used to reveal some information about you, which essentially results in a privacy breach. Companies, who operate with user data or store it in any way, are legally obligated to notify you of how your information will be processed – whether it will be used for research, quick access or advertisement targeting. While it does take some time to read through a website’s privacy policy statement, it can save you potential headaches in the future rather than blindly clicking on the accept button.
5. Check if the website has a valid SSL certificate
Our penultimate tip involves checking whether the website you are browsing has an active SSL certificate. This can be determined by examining whether there is a padlock icon located on the right of the URL address in your browser. If the icon is present, then the page you are currently viewing has an active certificate. But why is this important? The SSL certificate is used to encrypt the connection between you and the website, meaning that any data you input in any fields on the given page will be encrypted, which ensures that your data will be processed safely and securely..
6. Pay using cryptocurrencies
Our final suggestion revolves around cryptocurrencies. Crypto has become quite the trend during the recent years. However, did you know that paying with crypto can actually maintain your privacy? Companies like VPSBG have started to offer their customers hosting services like a Bitcoin VPS, for which they can pay using both Bitcoin and Litecoin as an alternative payment method, which is also focused around security and privacy. This is due to the fact that crypto transactions are anonymous, though not untraceable, and are also stored in the blockchain, which keeps track of every transaction ever made. Therefore, if a service provider that you are using offers this alternative payment option, you should definitely consider utilizing it because of the increased security and privacy benefits.
That concludes our short list. We sincerely hope that our 6 suggestions will help you maintain your privacy online.
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