Top 20 Tips to Protect Your Privacy Online in 2023
We are travelling through a treacherous virtual time. Here we introduce the top 20 tips to protect your privacy online in 2023 and beyond.
Theft! Misuse!
What’s going on around you?
In this perilous digital world, you should be concerned about online privacy.
Many people are already trapped in cybercrime. That’s what many of them don’t know!
In 2021 itself, many such cases were registered.
Now, in 2022, you can rest assured that your password and other personal information are not secure at all.
Don’t worry!
We’re not only analyzing the problem for you!
Here we are also revealing 20 tips to make you safer in this online world.
- Don’t Mind Suspicious E-mails
- Manage Cookies
- Activate VPN in the Background
- Cover Your Webcam
- Check Your Surroundings
- Think Before You Share Online
- Ensure Social Media Accounts Are Private
- Don’t Forget to Log Out
- Say No to Unsecured Sites
- Browse HTTPS secured sites
- Limit browsing unsecured sites
- Avoid having online transactions on those pages
- Use Web with Higher Anonymity
- Strong Passwords
- 12345678
- 111121
- qwerty
- Confirm Location Tracking Is Off
- Set Lock Screen
- Update Your Devices
- Avoid Accessing Personal Accounts in Public Wi-Fi/devices
- Ignore Untrusted Links
- Use End-to-end Encrypted Messaging Apps
- Old Hard Drives Should Be Unreadable
- Periodical Reboot of Your PC
- Speed up the performance
- Flush your RAM
- Stop memory leaks
- Fix bugs
- Many other background fixes
You’re familiar with spam or occasional fishy emails.
That’s for sure! They can trap you!
It will happen how crucially you guard email. But there’s a way to make it safe if you handle it the proper way!
What you should do is frequently delete emails.
You risk yourself by inviting unwanted attacks on your device and personal privacy.
Are you wondering how?
When you’re opening the email or clicking on any links inside it.
Enough!
So, try not to reply to suspicious emails.
Don’t succumb to the urge to reply and request to be removed from the mailing list, as this will likely signal to the spammers that your email address is active, prompting them to send you more messages.
Find the unsubscribe button and click on it!
Another choice is marking an email as a phishing attempt. This will help you never see the same types of email in your inbox again.
If you reply to spam, the email provider will think that you’re interested. So never mind these emails!
Ignore and delete!
You can click on ‘report spam’.
2FA (two-factor authentication) is a must if you’re using personal accounts.
G Suite, social media, management apps, whatever…
To cement your security, 2FA is a good option. An additional OTP (One Time Password) is best to confirm and secure your account.
It prevents hackers from going out of their way to peep and steal the personal zones of others.
At Account Settings, under the Account/Security tab, one can set up 2FA easily!
Yubikey is a hardware key used by many people to have an additional security measure. It can strengthen your password.
It can also be saved in the Password Manager.
A virtual identification becomes possible when websites use cookies.
What’s the result of it?
Companies/organizations watch your behaviour on websites and observe each movement.
And they feed you targeted ads! Yay!
That’s happening!
So, cookies de-anonymize online!
Let us share a tip! To block third-party cookies, get browser add-ons.
This way, you can save yourself from malicious cookies.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) really helps everyone from the prying eyes of the digital universe.
It helps you stay private with 100% security.
A VPN creates an encrypted connection between your device and the internet. You get a private tunnel for all of your communication and data, even on public WiFi.
Now the hackers or other peeping groups can only see a bunch of meaningless garbles!
What’s more now?
Different countries have different content libraries. Many people are restricted from getting access to the contents that are under geo-restriction.
This type of unblocking lets them save costs! (For example, shopping). It’s a form of price discrimination we cannot accept at all. So, a smart saving idea is here to imply if you’re a VPN user.
Switch to the best and most reliable VPN!
We assure you that the SPL VPN will never dissatisfy you. A good Android VPN hides your real IP address and shows any other of your choice.
Third parties cannot see any sensitive details of you, guys!
Connecting to any public Wi-Fi?
Wait! First, make sure the VPN is activated on your device.
If you do not take care to secure yourself from the webcam, your privacy and internet security may be compromised.
Think about covering your webcam!
Preventing yourself from seeing through your computer or phone camera is of the utmost importance.
Hey,
Cover your camera with tape!
Block your headphone jack!
Not funny!
Make security possible in every corner of the online world.
Are you working in a public space?
When entering into accounts by logging in, it’s good to examine who might be close enough to get a good look at your screen or even your keyboard.
Many people are not interested in giving away their location.
So, try to be wary of what’s running in the background, especially when you’re capturing snaps or recording videos.
Most of you are enjoying video calls.
Then please double-check that your background has nothing to clean! The thing is, you all wish to not expose something of yours in front of friends and relatives.
You’re the only person responsible for all the things you share online.
So, think twice!
If you’re not ready to share, then they’re absolutely unable to hold any details.
So, it’s simple! Care!
Many websites are practising dubious marketing strategies nowadays. It may harm you!
Most of us are falling for online giveaways!
We can’t say it’s not fair!!!
But the only and crucial thing is to not share your ‘real’ email address with such groups.
You need an additional address for the purpose of such signups.
That’s okay!
Another important thing is to be aware of public and unsecured networks and computers.
Remember, you shouldn’t share any personal or important data there!
Are you now using a secure network?
Then don’t forget that anything you share online is permanent.
There’s a 90% chance of manipulation of your shared data without your knowledge.
So, we repeat, think twice!
Are you working hard to protect your privacy online?
Then the first step is…
Do everything you can to keep crawlers and search engines from scanning your information.
Don’t forget to change account settings to avoid your feed being included in search engines.
Well!
If you’re not an influencer or public figure with the desire to gain many followers, then better set your account private.
Then, only the verified friends, family, and other important people in your zone can see what you’re doing there!
Do you want to keep the worst intruders out of your privacy?
Always remember that logging out of all websites when done is very crucial. It can be social media, online bank accounts, shopping accounts, email, etc.
So, locking your account when you leave must be the same as locking the door of your home when you leave.
Simple! Quick!
And it helps you be safe online.
Lemme share the most common misconception here!
People think that closing the browser tab is enough to secure your account from intruders.
But it will be in vain!
Any intruder can easily access your account without any effort if you do that.
So, you should remember to log out when you leave the purpose online.
Besides that, don’t forget to clear history!
Have you noticed a padlock icon at the top left corner of what you’re browsing?
Next to the URL?
Yea! That’s it!
It shows that your device and the website have an encrypted connection using TLS (Transport Layer Security). You can find out the Different Types of VPN and Their Protocols on our blog.
Man-in-the-middle attacks will be prevented by preserving the integrity of data with the heroic TLS.
HTTPS can’t guarantee full safety. Still, it’s the better choice to improve your privacy status.
You should:
Try to use the HTTPS Everywhere browser extension. It compels such sites to deploy it.
Using websites with a higher level of anonymity is possible if you’re familiar with the tools.
Any browser demands it for online privacy.
Choose the best browser ever! Experience the best. You can also check for tracking-free web searches. Refer more and pick the top on the list of raking search engines.
After all, maintaining privacy is most important.
Here we are listing some of the most common passwords. Your friends must have used one of these:
It’s okay! And never repeat this.
Always create very strong and unique passwords to cement your online privacy. It can be a mix of your special days, letters, numbers, other signs, etc.
The best kind of password should be long and extremely random.
Tools like random password generators can be used. Diceware, the idea of two-factor authentication, and password managers are also the best and most improved ideas to protect your privacy online.
Everyone likes to take a photo of somewhere and post it and mention that place.
This behaviour can be seen in people even if they go out to eat together.
Everyone is focusing on sharing pictures and videos with the mention of location on Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Advertisers can simply target you with ads if you mention your location.
Do you know that stalkers can easily cause physical harm? Many of the apps you click on are in the hands of trackers.
The hidden dangers here are bigger than you might think!
So, turn off GPS on your phone and block others from accessing your location unless it’s necessary to reveal/mention.
When you first open the app, simply allow it to utilize your GPS.
That’s better!
It will also reduce your digital footprint.
Most people have smartly switched to the method of locking their device screen with a password, passcode, thumbnail, face scan, etc.
If you set a password like this, no one will be able to access your data and other sensitive information in your absence or if the device gets stolen.
If you live with others, locking your screen when you leave it unattended prevents others from looking at not only what’s on your screen but also your files.
When we travel, we put the phone in the bag. Keys may be pressed in a crowd, such as unknowingly pressing and opening the screen and forwarding calls, sending letters as text messages, etc. So, think about locking your screen.
That’s the benefit of a single idea.
So, confirm it on all of your devices.
When you’re in public, keep your phone in your hand carefully and don’t put it anywhere.
You may get annoyed by some perky alerts about device updates, like the latest software updates.
However, believe it or not…
They sometimes serve critical purposes.
Infinite malware strains are entering the digital world every day.
So, keep your device up-to-date and ensure that it’s zero-exploited with proper guarding.
With updates, you’ll experience more interesting features, better functionalities, improved user experience, etc.
Read More: Top 8 VPN Security Risks & Issues
It’s best not to log into your personal accounts, including social media and online banking accounts, on public Wi-Fi or on any other public device.
It’s very normal for you to log into such personal accounts when you’re in malls, coffee shops, restaurants, airports, libraries, etc.
Public Wi-Fi offers are best for your personal data saving, but 100% risky for your privacy and security.
They’re grabbing your data and sharing it with third parties for money and other huge profits.
Rogue networks usually snoop on your sensitive information like passwords and traffic. They have the high intensity to penetrate malware to your device.
Some situations will compel you to get connected to public Wi-Fi.
What’s the solution to survive this trap?
VPN, of course!
Depend on the most reliable and best-in-market VPN service to protect your privacy while using public Wi-Fi.
SPL VPN is the ideal solution for you!
We offer a 100% free and unlimited service with no compromise on your privacy. There’s no need to sign up or log in to activate our VPN. So, it’s safe and dedicated to serving you with full enjoyment.
Beware!!
Shortened links may risk you!
The primary issue is that we cannot predict where these types of links will lead you.
With so many people relocating their offices, you may receive more emails about how your firm, your bank, and the apps you use are updating or changing in some manner to make working from home, well, work.
Don’t go for emails that ask you to change passwords or update website information without making an attempt to do it. This can be a phishing attempt for the company’s credentials, including passwords.
You may get some suspicious emails in the name of your company. Please verify its legitimacy by sending it to the department before proceeding.
Some links will ask you to install ransomware/malware onto your laptop. Beware of such traps.
If you’re sure of the content in the email you have received, you can go to the official page of the website to be modified and do the rest of it. You can seek the help of their staff.
Encryption is a stronger method to make your chatrooms private. It’s powerful and is in style as everyone goes for their privacy and security.
You should confirm that your chat app offers end-to-end encryption (gold standard) or encryption in transit.
Pick the most secure messaging apps to go 100% secure!
Technology is growing fast!
Many of the old machines that we used earlier have now been abandoned. We put the old hard drives aside in a corner.
However, how much of your personal information may be in it?
Why are you taking such a risk?
In such cases, the best thing for you is to make these old hard drives unreadable.
Back up your data and other files elsewhere and format them.
Many of you leave your computer on for days or even weeks.
Isn’t what we mentioned here correct?
Your computer has the capability to remain on for days, even for months. But you shouldn’t forget to reboot your PC regularly!
Regular reboot helps to:
Getting powerful control of your online privacy is critical because it protects your privacy from online identity theft and other misuses.
You are in charge of your online privacy; do not wait for others to take the required precautions to protect yourself against data breaches and cybercrime.
