8 Tips to Protect Personal Information Online
There we are to know – how to keep your personal information safe online and which of the following measures can improve the security of access to online accounts. Of course, you should consider all, what steps can you take to secure your private information.
1. Use Private or Incognito mode in browsers
In this digital age, the word ‘search’ is getting replaced by ‘Google’ as it is the most used and reliable source of information. As Google search engine displays top results from previous searches, so it’s clear that even if you remove search history, the cookies can trail back to the search history. To avoid this, it is recommended to use search engines that don’t stay in the thread with cookies. There are several search engines like DuckDuckGo or Qwant which do not record user’s IP addresses. So, by using such search engines, browsing can be done without leaving tracks.
2. Strong passwords
Now to talk about passwords. Here’s a trick. Instead of using common names or sentences, use lyrics of your favorite song but in reverse i.e., but you reverse the letters and add some digits with them at random. Such a password is hard to crack or you can use a word from its third letter and join it with the second letter of some other word making it hard to decipher. Don’t repeat letters and keep them non-sequential. A machine cannot decode such a password even in years.
3. Use a VPN
According to companies, VPNs cannot be sneaked in. Although they slow down your internet connection and downloading they do ensure that your browsing is being kept in private. It is the best know way to answer the question- how to protect personal information online?
4. Keep backup of your private data
Since it’s the age of smartphones and iPhones, their security is as necessary as your own safety because they’re the easiest source of cybercrime and hacking. Locking your phone is the first step to ensure your privacy when it comes to your cell phone. Moreover, don’t keep your private data is stored on your cell phone. Keep on transferring it to a hard drive or computer to keep it safe.
5. Store data on the cloud
Next, don’t keep your call log, text messages and other private app icons over your lock screen because once unlocked, your secrets can be revealed to any person who gets hands-on your phone. Switch on your phone finder option so if it gets stolen, it can be tracked. Use cloud storage to keep the back up of your data.
6. Keep financial information secret
Avoid sharing your bank account, credit or debit card details over your phone. Avoid accessing your bank account through your smartphone because it requires entering your pin which anyone can hack.
7. Automatic system updates
Instead of updating your software manually, switch on the automatic update option. This helps you in updating the right version recommended by the software manufacturers. If you try updating yourself, there’s a chance that you get hold of wrong features that might be a virus. If you’ve Windows, you can simply do this by going in o settings and choosing the automatic update option. Mostly manufacturers update their programs late at night like 2-3 am. Therefore, you need to keep the system running which might cause the system to sleep or hibernate. This even consumes energy and can cause your system to slow down eventually. So, instead of updating every night, update your system once in a week.
8. Disposable email address
Sometimes visiting a website requires an email address for registering you. So keep a disposable email address that you don’t use for your regular and important data sharing and alerts. In this way, your inbox can stay free of scam, spam, and junk emails. If you find these tips on how to protect your identity online useful, please comment below.
