To stay safe

First and foremost, online privacy matters because it is intrinsically linked to your personal safety. What private information have you inadvertently shared on social media this week? Have you tagged yourself in at your weekly yoga class, or at the park opposite your kid’s school? What about complaining about your commute on Twitter? All this information could be used to decipher your real-life routines.

Social media is increasingly where we chat, share photos and otherwise interact with our friends. It plays a central role in our social lives. If we aren’t willing to give our profiles up. We need to use them with care.

To protect your devices

How do you know the Wi-Fi at your local coffee shop is secure? Using insecure Wi-Fi is an open invitation for cybercriminals to hack into your phone or laptop. You could even be logging into a fake hotspot without knowing it. Evil twin hotspots are a popular tactic used by hackers to prey on public internet users.

It’s also worth remembering that the kind of public Wi-Fi that asks you to sign-in with your real email address is a business that profits from selling your data to advertising partners. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) will protect you when using all forms of public Wi-Fi because all your data is securely encrypted. Haven’t heard of a VPN before? Check out this easy-to-understand guide to learn a little more about what a VPN is and how to use one.

To Protect your money

As well as investing in a VPN always use anti-virus software, and make sure that it is up-to-date. Not only can a virus destroy your devices, but they can let hackers in. This gives them access to all your files and emails, as well as you webcam, passwords and much more. Keyloggers are particularly dangerous as they can be used to access bank details and track pretty much everything.

You should also remember to always use long complex passwords, using combinations of standard letters, capitals and numbers and use a different password for each online account. If possible, use more than four numbers in your PIN. Most crackers work on the assumption that only four numbers are used.

To Keep private conversations private

Ensure your private emails and instant messages stay private. Use an email provider and instant messaging service that provides end-to-end encryption. This means that the data is encrypted on your own device. The WhatsApp app uses this encryption technology and is far more secure than other services, such as Facebook messenger. For email check out Proton Mail for a free secure service.

To protect your reputation

If there are things you don’t want made public, don’t post details about them on Facebook. Once posted, it is very difficult to retract anything you have said. Especially if it has been re-posted or re-tweeted. Even deleted tweets may have been screenshot and shared.

Ensure that personal posts and photos are only shared with friends, not friends of friends. In Facebook, ensure you turn on the option to ‘review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline’. This can save much potential embarrassment.

 

** This is a guest post **