5 Ways to Improve Your Digital Privacy

The best way to secure your digital privacy is to stop using the internet. But let’s be realistic: for the vast majority of us, that’s simply not a viable option. Not only do we need the web to work and stay in touch with friends and family, but we also just need it to have fun. It’s much easier to organize a fun adventure, watch the latest movies, and book tickets to an event when you have the internet in your life.

Still, it’s important to be mindful of the potential implications of your internet use. You could be giving away a ton of personal information without being aware of it. Plus, there’s the ongoing threat of phishing attempts and other scams to be aware of.

Boosting your digital privacy is essential for avoiding the less-than-great sides of the web. In this post, we’ll run through a few handy strategies nudging your digital security in the right direction. 

Securing Your Accounts

So long as you — and only you — can access your accounts, then you should be fine. The problem is that many people have such weak security practices that they accidentally make it more likely that someone can access their accounts. 

It’s important to, first of all, select a strong password, one that ideally contains upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Two-factor authentication is also paramount, as is logging out of your accounts when you’ve finished using them — even on your own computer. 

By taking these steps, you’ll have gone a long way toward making sure that no one can gain access to your accounts. 

Dive Into Your Social Media Settings

We don’t want to alarm you, but the social media websites you use are not your friends. While there are advantages to using them, the companies that run those websites make their money by selling your data to advertisers.

Or at least, that’s what they’d like to do. You can stop them from using your data by changing the settings. This isn’t always as easy as it should be, but there are online tutorials that show how you can change data privacy settings on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and so on. 

Don’t Forget Your Phone Number

If you’re like most people, then you’ll likely have been subject to an increased number of unwanted calls recently. In some cases, you might be receiving multiple spam calls a day. It’s gotten so bad that most people don’t even answer the phone if it’s from an unknown phone number. 

There’s a smart way to prevent these calls, however. Companies get your phone number when another company sells it to them. If you’re inputting your phone number online, then there’s a high chance that it’ll end up in the hands of a spam-call company. By using the best service to receive SMS online, you can avoid using your real number when signing up for websites, making online orders, and so on. In the process, you’ll ensure that no spam callers end up with the phone number that you use daily. 

Be Careful About What You Post Online

It can be nice to share information about your life online. After all, sharing your good news and other updates with your friends and family is one of the joys of being connected to the internet. 

However, it’s important to be mindful of the potential implications of what you post online. A hacker could use information about your partner to create a fake account, or a potential criminal could see that you’re visiting another country, and attempt to break into your home. If you absolutely must share things online, then be sure that your profiles are set to private so that only your friends and family can see what you post. 

Read Up On Latest Phishing Scams

It used to be relatively easy to avoid phishing scams. If you were at all technologically literate, you could usually spot a scam attempt a mile away. But times have changed. Phishing scams have become increasingly sophisticated, which means that even people who are “web-smart” can be caught out. 

The usual rules for avoiding phishing scams remain the same: if it seems in any way suspicious, then stop whatever you’re doing. It’s also recommended to read up on the latest phishing scams since knowledge is the best way to protect yourself!

Conclusion

The above tips should ensure that you’re kept safe in this day and age, but remember that things will be different in a year’s time, so be sure to keep up to date with the latest security practices.