We all know that it can be tough to use the Internet on account of all the cyber threats that one has to face. From people who’re trying to catfish you or steal your identity to criminals who would use your private financial information for fraud and their own gain. There’s no end to the different ways through which cyber-crime can be committed.
That’s why it’s important to be proactive as an Internet user. You should educate yourself about the different ways you can use to control your data and improve Internet privacy.
1. Check Social Privacy Settings
Start with your social media accounts. This is where people can find a lot of information about you. The worst part is that anyone can see it. But, you can privatize and protect your privacy on these networks to a degree. The best way is to check in with your privacy settings. Make sure you’re only sharing certain details with friends while privatizing the rest of your account so that it’s not visible to virtual strangers.
2. Avoid Tracking
Every website you visit knows a lot about your browsing history because this information is useful to advertisers. They can use it to target you with certain ads that meet your “profile” based on your surfing history. Incognito mode isn’t enough to evade this problem. We recommend using a Virtual Private Network such as IPVanish. This way you will make sure that no-one can track your online history because it simply won’t be available to them.
3. Don’t Use Public Storage
Another way to improve Internet privacy is to avoid oversharing. This means you must refrain from sharing personal data such as passwords, social security numbers and passport scans on platforms like Google Docs and Dropbox. It’s just not a good look. Unless you’ve encrypted a special archive for the purpose of storing sensitive information, try to share only lighthearted stuff.
4. Use End-to-End Encrypted Messaging Apps
Make sure the messaging apps you use have end-to-end encryption. First, you have encryption in transit which means your messages are encrypted from the time they leave the provider and they can only be stored on their own servers. End to end encryption takes it to another level by hiding your messages even from the messaging services as well.
5. Keep E-Mail and Phone Number Private
We all get tempted to share our email address and phone number if the offer looks enticing enough. But, you must be careful who you share this sensitive data with because you never know who’s on the other side. That’s why most people use a separate burner phone number and a disposable email address instead of the real thing.
6. Use Only Secure Passwords
There’s a reason why some websites encourage you to create strong passwords by not accepting weak combinations. Sure, it can be difficult to memorize all of these different passwords, especially if they’re long. But you can always use a password manager app to help you keep track of all your passwords and keep them safe.
7. Disable Lock Screen Notifications
Another way to improve Internet privacy is to secure your phone with a difficult password and disable lock screen notification. That way, no one can ever take a peek at your business.
8. Check Permissions for Mobile Apps and Browser Extensions
Most mobile apps will ask you for permission to gain access to your device storage and view your files, contacts, geo-location, microphone, and camera. This is necessary to use the app so it’s almost impossible to avoid. But some share this information with advertisers for advertising purposes. The good news is that it’s quite easy to control the permissions you give to apps and the same goes for browser extensions.
9. Always Secure Your Phone and Computer with Passwords
It’s important to protect the private data in your phone or computer by using strong passwords. These passwords are there to improve Internet privacy when using your devices but they don’t have to be overly complicated. A four-digit lock or simple six-digit pin will do it for most devices, but nowadays you can also use biometric authentication in the form of face unlock or fingerprint reading.
10. Be Careful When Using Public Wi-Fi Networks
Be sure to privatize your connection when using public Wi-Fi networks. You can do this by connecting through a VPN like IPVanish, which offers data encryption technology and hundreds of servers from which to route your traffic.
What do you think of all our tips on how to improve Internet privacy? Sound off in the comments section below. We love hearing from you!
