Online privacy and cyber security matters more than ever. Every day, we share personal details online without considering who might see them or how they could be used. Unfortunately, this data can come back and cause you problems in ways you couldn’t ever imagine. It’s not always easy to maintain your privacy online and this seems like an inevitability.
It’s up to us to find out where our data ends up and take some steps to make sure it doesn’t get in the wrong hands. To keep track of your online presence, you can use several easy tools. In this article, we will go over several strategies to help you protect your privacy.
1. Use Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs)
Privacy-Enhancing Technologies, or PETs, are specialized tools and software designed to protect user data by reducing the exposure of personal information without compromising the functionality of digital services. These technologies are essential for securing the privacy of online communications and transactions.
A familiar example of a PET is end-to-end encryption. This form of encryption ensures that messages can only be read by the sender and receiver. Not even the service providing the platform is abe to access or read the messages.
If you feel your data still got out there even after using these tools, Deleteme is a good way to clean up your private data online. What is Deleteme? It’s a SaaS that works for users to find out who is using their data and then sends requests to remove it so you don’t have to do it yourself.
2. Secure Internet practices
Protecting your online activities starts with using strong passwords and adding an extra security step known as Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
It’s very important to have strong passwords because they help keep unwanted people out of your accounts. A good password is long and includes a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. It should avoid simple words or numbers like birthdays that are easy to guess.
Two-Factor Authentication adds another layer of security to your accounts. Even if someone figures out your password, they would also need this second factor, like a code from your phone, to get in. This makes it much harder for someone to access your information.
3. Set Up Preferences
Maintaining control over your personal information online is important, especially on social media platforms and when managing data sharing preferences with apps and services.
Setting up privacy settings on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can help protect your information. Each platform has its own privacy settings section where you can control who sees your posts, who can contact you, and how your information is used for advertising purposes.
Many apps and services require permissions to access parts of your device or personal information. However, not all these permissions are necessary for the app to function properly. It’s important to understand the permissions you grant. You can usually check and adjust these permissions in the settings section of your device.
