Has anyone ever asked you “What makes you, you? Well,when it comes to the internet, your identity is your name, your date of birth, address, property records and family details. These details are enough for any predator to access, monitor, log oreven steal your identity. A study wasdone by Computerworld that showed that those individuals who are weary of privacy issues on the internet are mainly concerned with: marketers, personal security and stalkers. In extremes cases, there were those who were concerned they were being targeted by the NSA or law enforcement. However, most people do not fall into the extreme category and therefore can take simple precautions in order to protect themselves.
Personal Information
As a rule, do not share your personal information on any surveys or social network sites. Your email, date of birth, address and phone number should not be divulged. You can either provide the site with false information or simply choose another site. Some sites require a working address that you can access, in this case create an email that is specifically for this purpose. Yahoo Mail provides a disposable email address. This allows you to keep your identity anonymous and keep you protected. Make sure you use trusted sites when providing personal information. If you are participating in online games or shopping online, make sure the site is safe. Try out Mansion Casino, an online casino that protects your data and secures your personal details. When you are shopping online, use a well-known site like Amazon.com or check out your favorite retail store online.
Web Browsing
At home or in an office, where others have access to your computer you can use a secure browser like WhiteHat Aviator or Comodo Dragon. You can also change your browser settings in Chrome, Firefox, Safari or IE. By doing so, you will block third-party cookies, delete first-party cookies and delete any browsing history. Be sure to block and clear your cookies regularly in order to stop cross-site tracking. You can also use Tor Browser, a tool that can obscure your clickstream. Make sure to disable any features that can make you vulnerable.
File Storing
Most people today use a personal cloud service similar toDropbox, like the program Transporter . Transporter allows you to safely store personal files on devices that you possess and are in control of. If you are not using your own device, be sure to use a USB stick that is encrypted using TrueCrypt.
Keep your email protected with password with that has various characters, numbers, upper and lowercase letters and not too short in length. Did you know that a hacker can hack a password that consists of only lowercase is just 10 minutes? So, choose your password wisely! Follow tips given to in order to strengthen you password and do not choose a password that would be an obvious choice, think out of the box and choose smart. As a rule of thumb do not open any e-mail from someone you do not know or aren’t expecting from, it could contain a virus or spyware that can cause damage to your computer. Avoid any attachments ending in an “.exe”extension.
