Privacy is something that’s basically your right! You always have the ultimate freedom to choose what you share and that which you wish to keep away from people. However, these days it isn’t surprising to hear of privacy violations and instances as such, some by hackers and others by organizations. With everyday use of the Internet, we are often more entitled to giving away the most intricate details of ourselves, and that too in the most seemingly harmless ways. If you feel that your privacy is something that you need to take care of, here are certain tips to help you do so.
Don’t give out details in social media profiles
Social media is perhaps one of those places where people willingly tend to give away personal information. There is absolutely no need to fill out your social media profile with those utmost intricate details. People that need to know important details about you, already probably do. So there is no need to let the whole world know everything about you.
Keep social media activities private
You should keep your social media activity largely private and only share it with people you are comfortable with. Almost all social networks allow for such customizations and therefore something you should utilize well.
Protect your hardware
The daily gadgets in our lives can actually contain a treasure trove of information. Be it your cell phone or your laptop; make sure you have some form of a password setup that restricts unauthorized access in any way. There are many applications that help you do this and setting up one isn’t a big task either.
Also, often people tend to lose phones and laptops, which again contain their information as well as of their contacts. In that case use apps that can locate your phone, or automatically encrypt or destroy data in a lost device.
Incognito browsing
Turn on that incognito browsing window that comes with almost every Internet browser. This means that your sessions are not stored in the computer, and there’s no way one would find your history, which could give away information in some way. Incognito browsing is a powerful feature that many of us tend to largely ignore.
Use a VPN
VPN or virtual private networks are exclusive services that are largely meant to keep your privacy intact. VPNs mask your original IP address that can be easily used to track your location to a pinpoint. Also, VPNs secure the network and keep all your activities exclusive to you alone. Usage of a VPN is one the finest ways to protect your privacy these days, and is also gaining prominence. Besides, you can always avail of either paid or free VPN services.
Set strong passwords
Passwords are the gateway to your information. So follow tips on setting up strong passwords, and apply them when you create passwords.
In sites that allow two factor authentications, make sure you enable such a feature.
Following the above mentioned ways should be largely enough to keep your privacy intact. You can also do a reference as to the other numerous ways that can help you in this regard.
Source: mcafee.com norton techland networkworld