Best Practices to Better Fight for Online Privacy

By CIOReview | Monday, June 24, 2019

Instant connectivity has changed the way people live and work, but this convenience comes at a huge price and that's 'privacy.' Now Internet privacy has become more critical than ever for people to take responsibility for protecting their personal information.

FREMONT, CA: Privacy is an increasingly scarce commodity these days. A growing number of data breaches, marketers tracking online activities of a user, malicious actors exploring the data shared in social networks, the list of digital annoyances goes on and on like this. Fortunately, users do have control over their data. Here are some best practices to improve user privacy online.

• Password Protects Everything

The username and password are the only things keeping a user's information and privileges from getting into the wrong hands. This leaves it essential to make them as secure as possible. Opt for an active username that is simple and easy to remember, but it should not be easily be linked to the user's identity. It is done to prevent hackers from guessing username based on credentials like name, age, or date of birth. Make sure not to use the same usernames or passwords for different accounts, avoiding that can prevent hackers from accessing multiple accounts with just one login credential. Also, be alert never to share the login credentials with anybody.

• Secure the Browser

The browser is the path to interact with the digital world, and if you a user is not careful, he/she could be leaving a trail of footprints behind. Whether it is websites and marketers tracking or a hacker spying on online activities, there are ways to keep browsing habits private. The primary step for keeping advertisers out of the browser is turning off third-party cookies. Using browser's Incognito mode is another way to address the monitoring issue, then the browser won't save any visited sites, cookies, or online forms, but online activities may be visible to the websites the user visit.

• Review Permissions for Mobile Apps and Extensions

Mobile apps prompt users to give them permissions to access contacts or files in device storage and to use the camera, microphone, location, and many others. Some use this information to profile users for marketing. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to control which apps are given which permissions.

Privacy on the internet is a user's fundamental right, and fighting for it becomes imperative. By incorporating the above tips, users can protect online privacy and browse with peace of mind.