With recent developments in online privacy in the USA, it’s becoming increasingly important for the public to protect themselves. Digital surveillance and online tracking are becoming increasingly common issues, but with the right technical knowledge, you and your family can stay protected and keep your data private.
Whether it’s to stop megacorporations from making money off your data or prevent government agencies from accessing your information, here’s how you can take control of your data.
What tech companies know about you
Many large tech companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft hold a lot of data about you. This typically includes your name, date of birth, location, and contact information — but can include so much more.
This data is extremely valuable, especially to advertisers, and one key way tech companies make money is by selling your information. With this in mind, there are two main schools of thought. Either give in and let the corporations collect everything, or implement strategies to keep as much personal information out of their hands as possible. If you decide on the latter, this guide should help you.
Why online privacy is a growing concern
Unfortunately, it’s not just businesses and advertisers that buy your data. It can also be purchased or stolen by hackers, scammers, and online criminals. While they’re not purchasing your usernames and passwords, they can still use your personal details and browsing habits to target you and your accounts.
Increasing your data privacy is one key way to keep yourself safe, and it can prevent many forms of data misuse, including identity theft, safeguarding issues, and even consumer manipulation.
Everyday tools to safeguard your browsing
If you want to keep your internet browsing safe and secure, there are a few tools you should consider. The main option is virtual private networks, or VPNs. These systems encrypt your data, so that your browsing session can’t be viewed by anyone else.
Additionally, you should make use of complex and unique passwords for all your accounts. Since these long and complicated passwords can be difficult to remember, we highly recommend using a free password manager. This gives you easy access to difficult passwords, without the vulnerability of writing them down on paper.
Creating a privacy-first lifestyle
Another way to keep your information secure is by creating a privacy-first lifestyle. It’s incredibly common for people to share all aspects of their lives on social media; however, this makes it available to everyone online.
Instead, be more careful about what you share online. For example, personal details, like your first school, might be the answer to your security questions. Having this information publicly available makes it easier for hackers to access and steal your accounts.