Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world today and list ways to explore these trends. This week, we’re looking at three hacks to secure your online privacy.
In today’s world, we exist online as much as offline. There’s few mysteries left in our lives. Most information you need about a person is a few clicks away. You can typically uncover a person’s interests, contact information, birthdays, religious beliefs, life events, or even their place of residence easily.
This information is retained in thousands of apps dedicated to capturing details about every aspect of your life, from leisure activities like movie watching and gaming to mundane day-to-day housework. You name it, there’s probably an app for it.
These applications often track your user behavior to enhance recommendations and encourage more usage.
Some people are fine with sharing information online to receive personalized recommendations or improve products, while others are not.
If you are skeptical about sharing data online, follow these quick steps to protect your data without compromising your user experience.
Limit sharing information online
Oversharing isn’t good offline, and the same applies online. Think twice before giving out personal information online. Wherever possible, limit sharing personal information. Start by not providing optional details when signing up for apps, such as your middle name, phone number, or mailing address.
Do not share personal information without understanding why. Be cautious when sharing payment information online; share it only on trusted websites and only when necessary.
You can also turn off location tracking for apps if you find it unnecessary. Sharing your location online can leave you vulnerable to identity theft, physical theft, stalking, and harassment.
Activate multi-factor authentication
While it may seem like a hassle, MFA is one of the easiest ways to secure sensitive applications. For instance, emails contain highly sensitive information like bank details or your unique identification number. Despite using email applications everyday, we often overlook the sensitive information they contain.
Enable MFA for sensitive applications, such as email apps, to secure your personal information. This additional step can help protect your personal data utilized within the applications.
Use search engines securely
Search engines know a lot about us, from location to IP addresses, cookies, click-through history, and search query history. While it’s impractical to stop using them, choose more privacy-focused browsers such as Ulaa that have search engines like DuckDuckGo for a more secure browsing experience.
Another effective way to secure your online browsing is by using a powerful security solution. This is especially crucial for enterprises, as data leakage from an organization could cost millions. Browser Security Plus enables enterprises to gain visibility on browser usage trends, harden browser settings, control browser extensions and plug-ins, lock down enterprise browsers, and ensure compliance with stipulated browser security standards.
These days, online privacy in our lives is almost extinct. However, incorporating simple measures, as suggested in this article, can go a long way in protecting your data from prying eyes.
As Gary Kovacs, technologist, and the former CEO of the Mozilla Corporation once said, “Privacy is not an option, and it shouldn’t be the price we accept for just getting on the internet.”
