Why You Should Take Care of Your Digital Privacy
A few decades ago, the concept of privacy was relatively straightforward. Nowadays, things aren’t all that simple. In the online world, this idea is skewed out of proportion, mostly because the majority of people don’t really understand what online privacy really means and how important it is. In this day and age, private data has a lot of value. If you want to protect it, you will need to be aware of everything it includes and know how possible data leaks can affect you. Read this week’s Zlog and find out how to take care of your digital privacy.
How You Could Be Jeopardizing Your Digital Privacy
There are many aspects that go into your online privacy. The two biggest ones are centered around who you are and what you are doing. ‘Who you are’ includes all of your personal information such as your name, address, phone number, email and even your social security number. The second part of this, the ‘what you do’ are the searches you perform online, the websites you click on and the pages you open.
Why are People Trying to Collect Your Online Data?
Trading in information can be a lucrative business, as many companies can attest to. In the same time when the majority of online users aren’t even aware of how valuable their private information is, there are so-called ‘data brokers’ already operating online. Their business model is to collect, analyze and sell user information without their knowledge or consent. Data brokers make a lot of money by selling this type of information to other companies who use it for all kinds of purposes including advertising, direct marketing and even credit risk assessment.
Why is Digital Privacy and Security So Important?
You might realize by now that there are a lot of people who want to get a peek into your privacy. From ISP providers, who usually do this so they can sell your web history to big companies like Google and Facebook who do this a bit more underhandedly in order to run more effective targeted ads. This only goes to show that you can’t fully trust any website out there, no matter what kind of reputation it has or how big it is.
No matter what you like doing online, privacy isn’t something you should compromise on. Online privacy is something that should be a given. Not to mention that there is a whole other aspect of how your private information can jeopardize your security and expose your personal and financial information. The Cambridge Analytica scandal, among many others, helped prove that online privacy is crucial and that you must do whatever you can to protect it. So, what can you do to ensure you’re always private and safe online?
How to Protect Your Digital Privacy
The good news about all of this is that there are actually some things you can do to fix this and ensure your digital privacy and security when using the internet. Here are some of the biggest things you can do:
Secure Your Passwords
Passwords are a big part of our everyday online lives. That’s why they should be strong, very private and if possible, secured by Two-Factor Authentication. Yes, saving passwords is convenient and it shaves off a couple of seconds each time you want to open a website, but this tactic can be very dangerous.
Be Aware of all of Your Privacy Settings
Most apps and websites offer privacy settings when you open them up. They give you certain options to select what type of information you want to share and who you want to share it with. Make sure that those settings are as private as possible so you can minimize your digital footprint.
Be Careful of the Websites You Visit
The only surefire way to maintain your privacy is to never go online. If however you still want to use the internet and maintain maximum privacy, you have to be very dedicated to a high level of discretion. This means no Facebook, Twitter, Google or WhatsApp, which may be too big of a step for most online users. That’s why we’ve saved the easiest step for last.
Get a VPN Service
On top of all of the tips we’ve shared with you above, there is one simple thing you can do that can go a long way. The best and most effective tools for safeguarding your online privacy are VPN services. By using a VPN, you can protect your private information and online activity from all of the snoopy advertisers, your ISP, but also any potential hacker attacks. Sign up with ZoogVPN for free or choose one of our subscription plans and give yourself the peace of mind you deserve when browsing the internet.
- Yaroslav S.CEO at ZoogVPN. Yaroslav is a versatile manager with extensive customer support experience. His historical background and a deep passion for philosophy perfectly complete a real desire to create meaningful content and tech products.
