Privacy is scarce these days, especially on the Internet. The minute you go online, you are putting your private information at risk of being exposed, stolen, or even hacked. With that being said, here are five privacy tips you need in order to stay safe and lowkey online.
Five Online Privacy Tips
1. Use a VPN
VPNs are the most reliable tools used to protect users’ privacy online. They act as secure gateways to the Internet. A VPN will reroute all of your traffic through an encrypted tunnel, which will keep it safe from third parties. As a result, ISPs cannot spy on your online activities, and hackers cannot make sense of the encrypted messages. The VPN hides your IP address and sends all your traffic via an encrypted tunnel so that no one can find out what you are doing online. This way you can surf the web privately and anonymously. Sign up with a reputable VPN provider like ExpressVPN to keep your browsing activities to yourself at all times.
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2. Use Incognito mode
If you don’t want Google Chrome to remember your activity, you can browse the web privately in Incognito mode. Incognito mode runs in a separate window from your normal Chrome windows. When you browse privately, no one else who uses your computer can see your activity. Bookmarks and downloads, however, are saved.
3. Do Not Give your Personal Info in Exchange for Prizes
Websites often ask you to enter your email address or personal information in exchange for winning a prize. As harmless as you might think signing up with your email is, it’s not. The purpose behind such plugins is collecting data about you. Companies behind such websites use your information for marketing purposes. They might even sell your information to third-party advertisers.
4. Turn Off Location
Make sure you turn off location services, otherwise, apps and websites can pinpoint your exact location even when you’re using a VPN.
5. Avoid Using Public WiFi Hotspots
Public Wi-Fi hotspots may seem convenient, but in reality, they can be very dangerous. Upon connecting to them, you are putting your data at risk of being stolen. Such public networks are poorly protected, which makes them easy for hackers to intercept your Internet traffic and steal desirable information and credentials. If you’re going to connect to one anyone regardless of whether they are safe or not, you might as well use a VPN. It will hide your IP address and encrypt your traffic so that no cybercriminals will be able to hack it.
Don’t Take Your Online Privacy Lightly
Don’t click on pop-ups, don’t open suspicious emails, and provide very personal information only when necessary. Your online privacy is not something you should take with a grain of salt. There are plenty of third parties out there who are interested in monitoring you such as advertisers, governments, etc. It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you’re a regular Internet user or a high profile person, your online activities should be for your eyes only.