Top Internet Privacy Tips

Digital threats are on the rise in the modern world, and we all need to take significant steps to protect ourselves. The strategies and tools utilized by hackers and scammers are more advanced than ever before, and every day we hear an endless torrent of reports about large and small-scale hacks and data leaks. Luckily, however, just as the techniques of these malicious actors have evolved, so too have the tools that we can use to combat them. Let’s explore some of the most effective internet privacy tips you can start using today!

Why Internet Privacy Is So Important

The internet has completely revolutionized how we exist as human beings in the 21st century. Not only does it provide a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips, but it has also changed how we work, socialize, and relax. The majority of people in the US use the internet every single day for countless purposes; after all, you’re even using it right now to read this article. However, as well as being an essential tool for us, the internet is also home to a web of malicious actors who are desperate to rob us of our data, funds, and overall security.

Almost everything we do on the internet comes with privacy risks. The social media platforms, like Instagram and Facebook, all have accounts that could be hacked, with passwords that could be leaked. Some of the most popular online MMO and MMO adjacent games in the US, including Arizona’s favorite, Fortnite, and Utah’s most popular, Hell Diver’s Two, allow us to interact with all manner of people from all across the globe, making it essential that we know how to maintain our privacy. Additionally, the best real money online casino in Nevada, as well as those accessible in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, and several other online gaming hotspots, require us to part with our personal payment information to make wager and withdraw assets. With this in mind, it is a great relief to many gamblers that they make the security of their guests a number one priority. Every time you purchase at an online retailer, or every time you sign in to accept cookies on a website, you are making various agreements for your data to be shared. None of this is necessarily a bad thing, but it is all things to be cautious of as you navigate the internet.

Be Vigilant

As with many things, maintaining your privacy while using the internet starts with you. A lot of the time, this all sounds like obvious advice, but often so many of us fail to follow it. Firstly, it is important that you do not use the same passwords for multiple accounts on the internet, as if one should be compromised, it will then compromise every account you own, and can cause a significant amount of stress.

Additionally, it is a good idea to come up with strong passwords that contain various letters, numbers, or symbols, or allow your device to safely store a strong password for you. Doing so will greatly reduce the risk of any malicious actors discovering your password and using it for nefarious purposes.

If you use the internet to interact with people, make sure that you never disclose personal information. Take everything about you as sacred, and don’t share it with strangers, either on social media sites or on gaming platforms. This includes your name, date of birth, and address, or anything else that could be used against you. When making accounts on the internet that other people will see, it’s a good idea to use a pseudonym or make your account private so that only those whom you know in real life can see its content.

Finally, there are a lot of fake websites on the internet that are designed to scam unsuspecting individuals and steal their funds. However, these sites often have several giveaways that can clue you into their illegitimacy. Firstly, when accessing a new website online, you should always pay attention to the URL and look out for the letters and symbols ‘https://’ or a padlock at the start of the URL. If a website has these, it means it is encrypted, which shows the website has gone above and beyond to ensure your information is dealt with securely on the site. A lack of this does not automatically indicate that a site is untrustworthy, but if it is missing from a webpage that is asking for your payment information, then this could be a cause for concern.

You can also use Google’s safe browsing tool to check if the site you are on has any pre-existing security concerns. Simply copy the site's URL into the given box, and it will alert you if any concerns have been raised about the website in the past.

Finally, when using a new website, make sure to keep an eye out for significant spelling and grammar errors, overly informal language, or advertisements offering deals that seem too good to be true. All of these are quite significant indicators that the site hasn’t been made by professionals, and may exist in order to scam and deceive. You should also check the website's ‘contact us’ page and use the information given to check whether the company appears to be active on social media, and whether their email and phone contact information are legitimate. If you can’t find any contact information at all, then this might be another strong indicator that the site is illegitimate, and you should not purchase any products or services that they are offering.

Download a VPN

Virtual private networks, more commonly referred to as VPNs, are perhaps the most effective and essential software tool for enhancing digital security and ensuring your continued privacy while using the internet. These are tools that obscure your IP address, making it appear as if you are accessing the internet from somewhere else in the world. This, in turn, makes it exceedingly difficult for hackers to trace your digital activity back to a source and so keeps your information secure from prying eyes. This is especially important for those who make use of public WIFI, as these networks are known to be vulnerable to cyber attacks and malicious actors.

VPNs also have a wealth of other benefits for their users, but chief among them is the ability to bypass geographical restrictions. Because a VPN makes your location appear as if it is somewhere else, it, in turn, gives you access to the internet content only available in other countries. This is especially beneficial if you make use of streaming platforms like Netflix, as it will give you access to the content libraries of other countries, allowing you to expand the shows and films available for you to watch.

To get the most out of a VPN, you can buy paid plans, but some, including Proton VPN, have free options that, although they do not give you as much freedom, still greatly increase internet security and can be the most effective barrier of protection between yourself and digital threats.

Give Cryptocurrency a Try

Cryptocurrency is rapidly gaining popularity both here in the United States and more generally across the globe. In fact, it is currently estimated that around 28% of American adults own at least one form of cryptocurrency, and many more are expected to invest in the future. Crypto has become so popular that many people have taken to referring to it as the very future of finance itself. The reasons for cryptocurrencies' popularity are many, and we suggest you do some research of your own into digital assets before investing yourself, but a lot of it comes down to increased security. Cryptocurrency is a decentralized mode of finance. This means that it does not rely on the input or assistance of any third-party institutions, such as banks. Instead, when a transaction is made using cryptocurrency, it is done through a peer-to-peer transaction, passing through a giant public ledger known as the blockchain.

Now, the blockchain exists for greater transparency for financial transactions; however, in order to maintain security, these transactions are encrypted and appear anonymous on the blockchain.

This means that, by using these digital assets to make financial transactions, you do not have to supply any personal information that could make you vulnerable to cyber threats. This makes purchasing goods and services online infinitely more secure and ensures continuous privacy for the user.

Use Multi-factor Authentication for Your Passwords

Multi-factor authentication is a relatively new digital security tool that is both simple and highly effective. The idea with multi-factor authentication is that it places an additional step, or steps, that a user has to go through in order to sign into an account. For example, let’s say you were trying to log in to online banking on a laptop. If the bank uses multi-factor authentication, you may be asked to supply a username and password, answer a security question, and input a code that was sent to your phone. For slightly more inconvenience when it comes to logging in, a user can then make it incredibly difficult for a malicious actor to hack into their bank account. Not only would the individual need their username and password, but they would also need to know enough about the person to answer a security question and have access to their phone to input the code.

As such, you should always make use of multi-factor authentication when it is available, even if it does make logging into your accounts just that little bit more time-consuming, it is well worth it for digital security and peace of mind.

Conclusion

It cannot be denied that the internet is a dangerous place. This tool that connects us and the world, also connects us to individuals and groups that want to access and steal our personal information. However, knowing how to maintain your privacy online and having an awareness of the tools that can aid you in doing so is an extremely effective way to combat these threats. Remember, you are responsible for ensuring your own digital privacy, and the better at it that you are, and the more time and attention you give it, the less likely you are to ever fall victim to the digital threats that are out there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Can I, Personally, Do to Ensure My Privacy While Using the Internet?

There are many things you can do without downloading software to maintain your own privacy online. Make sure to never use the same password twice, always create strong passwords for your accounts, remain vigilant on new websites, and never reveal your personal information to strangers.

What Software Can I Use to Maintain Internet Privacy?

A VPN will help you maintain your internet privacy by obscuring your IP address and making it appear as if you are accessing the web from somewhere else on the globe. Additionally, making use of multi-factor authentication software is a great way to keep your online accounts safe from digital threats.

Should I Invest in Cryptocurrency for Greater Digital Security?

Investing in cryptocurrency can be a highly effective way to maximize your digital security, but you should conduct a significant amount of research before you make that decision. Specifically, pay attention to the volatility of cryptocurrency and perhaps look into stablecoins if this volatility isn’t something you want to contend with.