Useful Tips How to Protect Your Information Online
In our previous Zlog, we’ve highlighted the worst apps for privacy in the year behind us. But, as the Internet landscape is continually changing and evolving year after year, it’s easy to overlook important aspects that make up your online world.
As an online user, you can do a lot of things to retain control of your valuable information. If you want to make your online data just a bit safer, consider including these cybersecurity resolutions and tips for improving privacy on your list for 2021.
1.Limit Access to Your Personal Information
Most of us aren’t really vigilant or even careful of how much information we share when online. If you were to follow only one of these tips for improving privacy and security, it would limit access to your personal information.
When considering the best ways on how to limit access to your personal information, most of the tips we want to address pertain to phone users. The most efficient ways of restricting access and boosting your phone’s privacy are:
- Keep your app permissions updated
- Turn off your location
- Use a screen lock
- Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi whenever you’re not using these features
- Update your phone’s privacy settings
2.Switch to a Privacy-friendly Browser
We use our browsers to do everything online. The average online user shares a ton of information through his browser every day. From opening emails to streaming shows and purchasing over the Internet. To prevent advertisers and other third-party companies from tracking you and knowing your every step consider using a browser with built-in privacy features and block trackers by default.
Of course, the first browser that comes to mind is Tor. Though it’s understandable that it’s not entirely the best choice for everyday use. That said, there are plenty of other options out there, with Mozilla’s Firefox being one of the best privacy-friendly alternatives to the prevalent Chrome browser.
2.a)Move to a Privacy-friendly Search Engine
In line with the advice above, switching to a more privacy-friendly browser is only half of the job. If you’re still using an invasive search engine like Google, your browser history, interests, purchases, and all of your contacts are always kept on record.
For a more private browsing experience, consider switching to a logless search engine. There are many options available online, with the two best and most trustworthy ones being DuckDuckGo and Qwant. Google’s open data collecting policy is getting more intrusive by the year. And, 2021 might be the perfect time to switch up.
3.Enable 2FA Foe All of Your Accounts
A strong password is a good start, but it won’t keep you completely secured if someone is really set on accessing your valuable information. Setting up two-factor authentication will help you create an additional security layer that will deter anyone from trying to breach your accounts.
Most commonly, 2FA comes in SMS verification, although there are many other means of verifying your identity when you log in. Even though 2FA has become more common in the past few years, many online users are still unaware of its importance in maintaining data security. That said, while it might be inconvenient to type in an extra code when logging in, these few seconds every time can save you from a lot of headaches in the future.
4.Delete Apps as soon as you Stop Using Them
Did you make a New Year’s resolution to stop wasting time on Facebook or Instagram? Great! Deleting these apps from your devices will make it easier for you to refrain from accessing your social media profiles and help prevent these companies from tracking you and collecting your data. Deleting apps you no longer use is an advantageous way of minimizing your online footprint without too much effort.
5.Use a VPN
It’s always a good idea to use a VPN if you’re accessing public networks. Better yet, it’s a good practice to use a VPN every time you’re browsing. By using a VPN every time you access websites, you’ll be able to keep all of your data anonymous. You can download an appropriate VPN app for your device. Alternatively, you can install a browser extension so that everything you do in your browser is automatically encrypted every time.
Hopefully, these five tips for improving privacy will help you start the New Year on the right foot. From everyone at ZoogVPN, we wish you a safe 2021, happy holidays!
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.
