10 tips to protect your privacy online

Online privacy is an issue that worries a lot of people. Here are ten basic tips on how to protect your personal data online.

There was a time when people had secrets. That ended when the world went online. Nowadays our habitual activities like shopping, chatting, traveling and so on are all recorded and stored by different services and companies.

In this digital age, data is not locked away somewhere, but it’s being sold and used. You will more than likely not like some of the ways that this data is used. There are also security issues. It’s very unpleasant to find out that your private data has leaked and, for example all of your colleagues now knows knows that you are going through a rough patch with your spouse or that you are building debt as you are struggling to pay for your child’s emergency surgery.

Anecdotes like the ones above are only part of the reason why online privacy should be a concern for people of all ages. Here are 10 tips for you to better protect your personal data.

  • Every social network is a treasure trove for scammers, who gather users private data. They can use this information for fraudulent activities. So it’s a good idea to do a check-up on the security settings of your Facebook account, as well as for every other social network you use.
  • Your email holds the “keys” to the majority of your accounts, as password recovery operation is often conducted via email notifications. That’s why it’s very important to secure your primary email, which is connected to banking services and other important sites. If you want to login on various dating sites and ambiguous services, you’d better create and use second (or even third or fourth) email address.

  • Be very careful when you post any scans and photos online, especially when it comes to IDs, tickets and billing documents. It’s also a bad idea to share information about your whereabouts and traveling schedule online. Criminals can use this information to find out, when you are away from home and robe you, or steal your personal data, like banking credentials.

  • Don’t use open WiFi networks. They may look like decent ones, provided by a local cafe or a library, but you cannot know it for sure. To create a similar network, a cybercriminal needs only a laptop and Wi-Fi adaptor. They actually do it to intercept logins and passwords of users, who try to connect to the Internet via these fake networks.

  • Think of you kids’ privacy as well. Cyberbullying is not a joke and many children all around the world suffer from it. That’s why it’s important not to publish online photos and videos, which can confuse your child now or in future — like things, mentioned in this post.
  • Annoyed with advertisers? Ads can clog your screen for products that you would never want. Did you know that many of these ads add tracking to your web browsing? Moreover, this tracking also removes some of your privacy. Users of Kaspersky Internet Security can get rid of them in a few clicks and here we explain in depth how to do it.

 

  • Online merchants use your data to tailor their ads to suit your preferences. They track your online activities to be more successful (of course, all these processes are automated). But if you don’t want to have your data shared with these organizations, you can use the Private Browsing feature, enabled in the new version of Kaspersky Internet Security.This module prevents tracking of your online activities by advertisers, social networks and web analytics service. The Private Browser actually guarantees, that your data will not leave your PC without your permission.

  • Of course, data collectors would not be that successful if they did not know how to slip into user’s OS unnoticed — and absolutely legally. When you install free software, you are offered to install different additional plugins, toolbars and extensions.If you click “Next” without reading the text in the installation window, you install the whole pack with necessary and unnecessary apps. The last ones can, for example, alter the home page or search settings. But you can save your browser from with the help of Kaspersky Internet Security.

So, here are ten tips, which can be used to build a real Fort Knox of your online privacy. Use them to stay safe and protected!

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