Data Protection Day 2021 | Best Tips To Stay Secure Online!
Today, Data Privacy Day is being observed all over the world to promote privacy practices, enhance cyber-security awareness, and highlight the importance of infrastructure advanced enough to deal with the emerging cyber-threats.
As a cybersecurity company, Ivacy remains committed to a safer cyber-space and creating better awareness in that regard.
The Need To Stay Secure Online In 2021
Managing your Privacy Online
Your data can be used in numerous ways, sometimes in ways you would not approve or expect. This makes it important for you to understand the value of your private and confidential information and how to manage said information when possible. Keeping this in mind, here are some ways you can manage your privacy online.
1. Do your Homework
Before purchasing any internet-enabled device, it is important to do your homework. Start with product reviews and identify any privacy or security concerns. Also, determine what security features the device has to offers or lacks in the first place.
2. Take Control of your Online Presence
As soon as you power on your new device and sign up for a new account, make it a point to configure your privacy and security settings. By default, most devices opt for the least secure settings. For this reason, you will need to take your time to configure those settings to something you are comfortable with. If you do not need a feature, disable it, like location tracking. But do not stop there, check these settings regularly and adjust them if need be.
3. Keep your Device(s) Clean
For every device that you own, keep their OS and relevant software up-to-date. Doing something as simple as this will reduce the risk of infection from malware and ransomware. Configure your device(s) to notify you of new updates or set them to automatically update them to avoid any hassles.
4. Use Unique Passwords For Each Account
One of the most common methods of stealing information is to retrieve the username and password combinations from one source and then use the same to access other accounts as well. The only way to avoid this is to use a robust and unique password for every single account. You can use a free password generator and manager for that purpose.
5. Don’t Give Too Much Information
When completing your profile, it is not necessary to fill in all the information. Sometimes less is more which is why you should limit the information you upload online. If something is not required, do not give that information. Moreover, if a company requires you to provide information you are not comfortable providing, then perhaps it would be a good idea to reconsider creating an account wait that company in particular.
Managing your Kids’ Privacy Online
In today’s world, families must also think about the safety and security of their kids. While kids are taught the basics of safety and security like avoiding talking to strangers and looking both ways before crossing a street, they need to be taught about managing their safety and privacy online as well.
If you want your kids to be safe and secure online, here are a couple of tips worth considering.
1. Positively Engage your Kids
Take a keen interest in your kids’ activities online. Learn more about the online environments they are a part of. Just like the real world where there are good and bad neighborhoods, the same applies to the internet as well. Help your kids understand the difference between good and bad apps and websites. Additionally, advise them to be cautious about what content they upload, post, download, and click on.
2. Be Honest about Online Threats
Enough emphasis can not be placed on the fact you will need to be honest with your kids. Talk to them openly about online threats and why they need to keep their personal information private.
3. Teach your Kids about the Value of Personal Information
Just like money, information about your kids like the games they play and what they search online is valuable. Explain to your kids why their information has value and how they need to be selective about the information they provide to apps and websites. If need be, discuss what information can and cannot be shared online, i.e., phone numbers, photos, addresses, etc.
4. Explain to your Kids that What Happens Online Stays Online
You will need to explain to your kids that what happens online stays online, so there is no going back. They also need to be explained that what they post online can be copied, so they might not be able to undo any damage they could cause unknowingly.
Additional Tips to Bolster Online Security
1. Use a VPN
Every time you connect to the internet with a WI-FI, you don’t trust, use a Virtual Private Network or VPN service, such as Ivacy VPN, which encrypts your incoming and outgoing data. As a result, no one can spy on you or get access to your data. Ivacy also comes equipped with a malware detector to keep you safe from online threats.
2. Clear Browser Cache
Your browser knows a lot about you through cookies, saved searches, and web history that may hold clues to your home address, family information, and relevant personal data as well. Do make it a habit to clear the cache now and then.
3. Disable the ‘Save Password’ Feature
Most browsers these days include a built-in password management solution that records all your passwords. But, to enhance your security, you shouldn’t save any passwords in this manner at all.
4. Avoid Click Bait
That news piece you stumbled across, the one telling you about some rumors relating to the royal family, could quite easily be a clickbait comprising of phishing links meant to harm you while masquerading as a secure website.
Final Thoughts
In this day and age of evolving online threats and incidents that lead to data theft, it has become imperative for us to invest in counter-measures that deal with the invasion of internet privacy. It is high time that we wake up to the frightening reality of cybercrime and begin to exercise more caution online than we currently do!
