Online privacy is important, but it can be difficult to know how to protect it. This guide will teach you the basics of online privacy and give you tips on how to protect your personal information and browsing history.
Table of Contents
What Is Online Privacy?
Online privacy is the right to control your personal information and how it is used when you are connected to the internet. This includes information such as your name, address, phone number, email address, social media profiles, and browsing history.
Online privacy is important because it allows you to control how your information is used and to protect yourself from identity theft, financial fraud, and other risks.
𝒪𝓃𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓋𝒶𝒸𝓎 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓈𝑒𝒸𝓊𝓇𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝓊𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓈𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓋𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓉𝒶, 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝓊𝓃𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝓅𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒. pic.twitter.com/7ua1Og3Pvd
— SecureBlitz Cybersecurity Blog (@secureblitz) December 3, 2019
Why Is Online Privacy Important?
Online privacy is important for a number of reasons. First, it allows you to control how your information is used. For example, you may not want companies to track your browsing history or to use your personal information for targeted advertising.
Second, online privacy can help to protect you from identity theft and financial fraud. If your personal information is compromised, criminals could use it to open credit accounts in your name or to steal your money.
Third, online privacy can help to protect you from discrimination. Some employers and insurance companies use your online data to make decisions about you. For example, an employer may use your social media profiles to screen you for a job, or an insurance company may use your browsing history to set your rates.
READ ALSO: OmniWatch Online Identity Protection Review
The Risks Of Online Privacy Breaches
There are a number of risks associated with online privacy breaches. Some of the most common risks include:
- Identity theft: Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and uses it to commit fraud or other crimes in your name.
- Financial fraud: Financial fraud can occur when someone uses your personal information to access your bank accounts or credit cards.
- Discrimination: Discrimination can occur when employers, insurance companies, and other organizations use your personal information to make decisions about you.
How To Protect Your Online Privacy
There are a number of things you can do to protect your online privacy. Here are a few tips:
- Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Strong passwords are at least 12 characters long and include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring you to enter a code from your phone in addition to your password.
- Be careful about what you share online. Think twice before sharing personal information or photos online. Once you share information online, it is difficult to control how it is used.
- Use a VPN. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address. This can help to protect your privacy from online trackers and hackers. You can check out our list of the best VPN services to make a choice today.
- Keep your software up to date. Software updates often include security patches that can help to protect your devices from vulnerabilities.
READ ALSO: Ultimate Digital Privacy Guide
Recommended Tools And Services
Here are a few tools and services that can help you protect your online privacy:
- Incogni: Incogni helps you remove your personal information from data brokers.
- Norton AntiTrack: Norton AntiTrack blocks online trackers from following you around the web.
- Opera Web Browser: Opera Web Browser has a built-in ad blocker and VPN.
- MacKeeper: MacKeeper includes a variety of features to protect your Mac’s privacy.
- PC Matic Magnum: PC Matic Magnum includes a variety of features to protect your PC’s privacy, such as a VPN and ad blocker.
- DeleteMe: DeleteMe helps you remove your personal information from search engine results.
- Hushed: Hushed provides anonymous phone numbers.
- IOLO ByePass: IOLO ByePass helps you manage your online passwords.
- IOLO Privacy Guardian: IOLO Privacy Guardian protects your personal information from being accessed by unauthorized users.
- Kamo (by CCleaner): Kamo is a password manager that helps you create and manage strong passwords.
- Localize: Localize is another phone monitoring app to protect your privacy.
- Social Catfish: Social Catfish helps you identify fake online profiles.
- Reship Virtual Address: Reship provides virtual addresses that you can use to protect your privacy when shopping online.
- Surfshark Alternative ID: Surfshark Alternative ID allows you to create temporary identities that you can use to access the internet.
- OmniWatch Identity Theft Protection: OmniWatch Identity Theft Protection monitors your credit reports, social media accounts, and other online activity for signs of identity theft.
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Conclusion
Online privacy is important, and there are a number of things you can do to protect it.
By understanding the risks of online privacy breaches and taking steps to protect your personal information, you can reduce your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft, financial fraud, and other crimes.
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About the Author:
Abraham Faisal is a professional content writer. He has a strong passion for online privacy, cybersecurity and blockchain and is an advocate for online privacy. He has been writing about these topics since 2018 and is a regular contributor to a number of publications. He has a degree in Computer Science and has in-depth knowledge of the ever-evolving world of digital security. In his free time, he likes to travel and explore new cultures.
