In today’s constantly connected age, protecting our privacy is more important than ever. It’s our duty to keep ourselves safe online, as we never just know who might be trying to steal our data. Viruses and hacks are not only damaging to our important PC documents but can lead to more serious activity like identity theft.
So, we’ve put together a short list of great ways to protect your privacy online.
Hide Your IP
Your IP address is what identifies you on the internet. Anyone can get access to it if you’re browsing their sites, and important information can be gained from it. There are some services out there that are able to hide your IP from normal viewing. However, be careful with the service you choose to utilise for this purpose. Some of them aren’t all that trustworthy themselves and can capture data about you in the process.
Protect Your Location
There are numerous ways for a hacker to identify your location. That’s a really scary thought! We’ve already mentioned your IP address as one of them. GPS services are another, so be careful about things like GeoTagging. Also, be sure to never reveal your address if you don’t want it to be known. Mail forwarding is one way of avoiding this, as is avoiding social media tactics like ‘checking in’. There are numerous ways to protect your location online, but it all starts with common sense.
Beware Of Hotspots
Wi-Fi hotspots are located in a variety of public places across the world. We’ve come to rely on them for all sorts of reasons, providing us with internet access whenever we need it. However, hotspots are no way near as private as the connection you have at home or at work. The problem with allowing anyone to access these hotspots is that they can be intercepted with ease. Criminals will look to this as a way of stealing information if they wish, and that puts you at risk.
Browse Privately
If you’re using Google Chrome right now, you probably know about Incognito Mode, right? If you don’t, it’s an extra way of browsing that keeps your history private. Importantly, it also prevents cookies from being collected from your browsing history. Keep in mind that most services like this don’t actually hide your activity from the websites themselves. But, they’re an important consideration if you want to prevent certain data from being collected by the browser.
Google Yourself
Sometimes, the best way to retain privacy is to go with the most basic solution. We’ve all Googled ourselves at least once. It’s too tempting not to! But, when you do this, do you think about your privacy? Can you see your address and more personal information when you type your name into a search bar? Look — the whole world knows who you are and where you live. Scary. If you’re concerned about what you see, contact the website owners and ask for information to be removed.
It’s more important than ever to understand how to remain private online. Don’t take it for granted.