The internet is an incredible tool that most of us can’t imagine living without, providing access to a vast amount of information, entertainment, communication, and services. However, using the internet exposes us to various threats to our privacy, such as tracking, profiling, phishing, identity theft, and data breaches. These threats can have negative consequences for both our personal and professional lives. Therefore, it’s essential to know how to protect your privacy online and take appropriate precautions.
What is online privacy?
Online privacy is the right to decide what personal data we share, with whom we share it, for what purpose, and under what conditions. Personal data includes any information that allows the identification of a specific person, such as name, email address, phone number, date of birth, location, browsing history, and purchase history.
Online privacy is crucial because:
- Controlling Image and Reputation: It allows us to control our image and reputation online, protecting our dignity and intimacy.
- Preventing Abuse and Discrimination: It prevents misuse and discrimination by entities that may use our data for purposes contrary to our will or the law, such as for marketing, political manipulation, criminal activities, or extortion.
- Increasing Security and Trust: It enhances our security and trust in using the internet, protecting us from fraud, theft, espionage, cyberbullying, and cyberterrorism.
- Exercising Rights and Freedoms: It enables us to exercise our rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, expression, information, creation, and participation in public life.
Privacy Threats:
There are various entities classified as threats to our privacy, originating from different sources:
- Government: Governments may monitor our online activities in the name of counterterrorism, crime prevention, national security, etc. Excessive, disproportionate, unjustified, or illegal monitoring may violate our civil rights and freedoms.
- Companies: Companies may collect, analyze, store, share, or sell our personal data to provide us with services, products, advertisements, content, offers, etc. These actions may be unclear, non-consensual, disadvantageous, or illegal, infringing on our rights and interests.
- Hackers: Hackers can take over and infiltrate our accounts, devices, networks, websites, applications, etc., for purposes of theft, modification, damage, destruction, or disclosure of our data.
- Other Users: Other users may impersonate us, blackmail us, or harass us based on our personal data. Such behaviors may result from unawareness, carelessness, malice, hatred, jealousy, or envy.
How to Protect Your Privacy:
To enhance privacy protection, consider taking these simple steps:
- Share Less Information with Apps and Services – Before using any app or service, check its privacy policy and terms of use to understand what personal data it collects, how it uses it, with whom it shares it, how long it retains it, and how it protects it. Limit the amount and type of personal data you share and provide informed and voluntary consent for processing. If an app or service does not guarantee an adequate level of privacy protection, consider discontinuing or finding alternatives.
- Use Strong and Unique Passwords with 2FA – Passwords are the basic defense for our accounts and data, so they should be long, complex, and unique for each site or service. Avoid using the same passwords in different places and refrain from writing them on paper or storing them in your browser. Utilize password management programs like KeePassXC or BitWarden, (I recently published a comprehensive guide on how to use the KeePassXC password manager – it’s worth checking out) which help create, remember, and input strong passwords for various sites and services without memorizing them all. Additionally, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to require an additional code or identity confirmation when logging into your accounts.
- Adjust Social Media Privacy Settings – Social media profiles are often a source of much information about us, which can be exploited by various entities. Pay attention to what and with whom you share on your profiles, and adjust privacy settings to limit access to your data. Avoid sharing too many details about your private life, such as your address, phone number, date of birth, location, travel plans, photos, opinions, preferences, etc.
- Remove Unused Apps and Browser Extensions – The more apps and browser extensions you have, the more personal data you expose, increasing the risk of privacy loss. Regularly check which apps and extensions you use, and uninstall those you don’t need or use.
- Prevent Tracking by Search Engines – Search engines like Google and Bing collect information about our queries, browsing history, location, devices, preferences, etc., to tailor search results, ads, content, and offers to us. Such tracking can be undesirable, invasive, or dangerous to our privacy. Therefore, use search engines that do not track you, such as DuckDuckGo or Startpage, or use private or incognito browsing modes in your browser. Additionally, regularly clear your browsing history, cookies, cache, and other data that may reveal your online activities. If you’re unsure about which search engine to choose, you can refer to websites like https://www.privacytools.io.
- Use VPN Services – Virtual Private Network (VPN) services, such as ProtonVPN or NordVPN, allow you to hide your real IP address, location, and online activities by creating a secure, encrypted tunnel between your device and the VPN server. This helps you avoid tracking, censorship, regional restrictions, or eavesdropping by governments, companies, hackers, or other users. However, it’s important to note that not all VPN services are equally secure and reliable, so choose those that guarantee a high level of privacy protection, encryption, speed, and stability.
- Opt for Secure HTTPS Connections – The HTTPS protocol ensures secure communication between your device and a website by encrypting the exchanged data. This helps protect your data from interception, manipulation, or theft by third parties. Pay attention to whether the website you’re using has an SSL certificate and whether its address starts with „https://” rather than „http://.” Avoid entering your data on websites without an SSL certificate or those displaying warnings of danger. You can also install a browser extension like HTTPS Everywhere, which automatically redirects you to the HTTPS version of a site if available.
- Use Antivirus Software – Antivirus software safeguards your devices from malicious software. Such software can infect your devices through downloading, installing, or opening suspicious files, programs, websites, attachments, etc. Malicious software can damage, block, copy, send, modify, or delete your personal data, as well as take control of your devices, cameras, microphones, keyboards, etc. Avoid clicking on suspicious links, opening unknown attachments, downloading uncertain files, installing untrusted programs, visiting unsafe sites.
Summary
Privacy is a right and value that deserves respect and protection. While the internet presents various threats to our privacy, understanding how to care for it and taking appropriate measures can safeguard us from potential negative consequences. By prioritizing your privacy, you can enjoy freedom, security, and peace of mind without worrying about the fate of your personal data and how it is utilized by other entities. Therefore, consider implementing the advice provided above to maintain your privacy online.
