5 Must Do Internet Privacy Tips
Even with the latest in internet security software, browsing, and having any of your personal data online puts you at risk of losing your privacy, and of being hacked. It is important to realize that it is not just hackers, and the government that are watching your online movements; advertisers and social networks also collect user data for their benefit. Therefore it is important that you follow a series of internet privacy tips to ensure that you and your data keep safe when online. Protect your privacy with these 5 important internet privacy tips:
- Change your IP address
There are various methods out there that enable you to change your IP address and thus prevent companies and such like from tracing you and your online activities. One way of doing this is by using a VPN provider which will ensure that your online communications and browsing is encrypted and kept private.
- Private browsing
There are ways to set your browser to private or ‘incognito’ mode via your desktop and this can help to reduce the risk that you face of being traced or tracked. To increase your online safety it is also important ensure that when you are browsing on sites such as Google and Internet Explorer to select do-not-track settings. You can add a browser plug-in for an extra layer of protection and anonymity when you are online.
- Log out every time
Not only should you log off of your computer every time you have finished using it, but you should also log out every time that you use ‘dangerous’ services such as internet browsers and social networking sites in order to protect your online security.
- Build Google Alerts about yourself
Setting up a Google Alert about yourself is an easy way of monitoring who is mentioning you, your service or your business online. Having such an alert can help you to be aware of, and stay away from malicious web users and pages. To set up your Google Alert simply go to this page: http://www.google.com/alerts/manage and click to create a new alert with your name, or the name of your business as the search term.
- Understand what ‘privacy’ policies are really for
Privacy policies can be tricky to understand, however in order to stay safe online it is essential that you know what privacy policies are for. Basically, a privacy policy is made so that you can see the information that a website or application is collecting on users and also how the information that is collected is then used. Privacy polices fulfill a legal requirement to protect a customer or client’s privacy and therefore if you feel like your privacy has been breached, looking over the privacy policy should be the first step that you should take. There are tools that can summaries privacy policies and thus help you understand them so if you think you need a little extra help then look out for such tools.
Everyone has something to hide when online, it may not be from law enforcement, but we all need to keep our data private from hackers, advertisers and even retailers. Therefore, we must all be aware of the importance of keeping ourselves safe when online and also that staying safe, and protected is not about finding one privacy tool, but rather to combine a number of privacy tools that suit you and your online habits.
