With almost everyone relying on the internet to perform tasks, there is barely anything like privacy. All your personal information are readily available to everyone by simply googling your name. However, you can control the information others have access to online thereby guaranteeing your online privacy by taking certain steps.
Password all your devices
Protect all your devices with passwords and that includes your computers, tablets, smartphones and anything other gadgets with your personal data on them. If it is unsecured by a password, your lost or stolen gadget will become a source of personal information for whoever has it and this can lead to identity theft.
Use two-factor authentication
The two-factor authentication is becoming very popular today. Activating this feature will not give you or any other person immediate access to your accounts. Instead, when you login, you will need to enter a special code that the website texts to your phone. No code, no access.
Do not share too much information on your social media profile
The more information you share online, the easier it’s going to be for someone to get their hands on it. One of such ways to get this information is via social media. So, check your social media profiles and remove information such as date of birth, phone numbers and email addresses. Anyone who wants to contact you should send a Direct Message.
Enable private browsing
If you don’t want anyone with physical access to your computer to see your online activities, you should enable private browsing which is a setting available in all major web browser. Enabling it will automatically delete cookies, browsing history and temporary Internet files after you close the window.
Set up a Google alert for your name
This is one of the easiest ways to keep track of everything someone may be saying about you on the website. With the activation of Google alert, you will be alerted immediately if someone illegally accesses your information.
Pay for transactions with cash
If you do not want to give out your card information online, you should use the cash on delivery option to pay for online transactions. You know some of these websites can sometimes be unreliable.
Keep your computer virus free
If your computer is infected by a virus or malware, hackers will not only have access to your information to steal your identity, but they may lock up your files and ask for a ransome to get them back. You will have to pay if the files are important to you.
Do not rely on search engines
If you don't like the idea of your search history being used to do business, you can switch your search engines. This is because many of us rely heavily on Google Chrome. So, make it a rule of thumb to switch your search engine.
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