There was a time when privacy was perceived as not allowing our neighbors to know about our personal life or stealthily talking to our crush on the phone call without letting anyone know. Mostly everyone was concerned about such trivial matters that were mainly societal in nature.
However, with the rise of digitalization, the protection of the user’s personal information like phone number, credit card number and other financial details has become a topic of greater concern. Many people cover their webcam with a tape so that no one can spy on them through the camera. That is just the basic trick. You have to follow several other tips to protect your personal information.
Protect your Digital privacy in this digital world
- Use HTTPS websites only
Refrain from using websites that are not secure – that do not have an SSL Certificate. If you are a website owner, make sure you have your website security with a security certificate from an authentic Certificate Authority. You can get cheap SSL Certificate from some of the leading providers and ensure a safe browsing experience for your customers. A browser plugin called HTTPS Everywhere should be used and you should use only secure Wi-Fi networks rather than public networks without security keys.
Also Read: 5 great tips to spy on your teen’s social media activities
- Change passwords regularly
Passwords are one of the most vulnerable elements of the digital world. The hacker can get access to all your personal details or financial information if they get to know your password. To make sure that such a mishap does not take place in your account, change your passwords at regular intervals.
You can also use a password manager extension like Blur that allows you to monitor the personal information that you have shared online and kept it safe. Another extension that you can use is LastPass. It is a globally acclaimed password manager that enables you to save your usernames and passwords. It is reliable and available for most of the browsers and operating systems.
Make your password about random things rather than people or objects related to you. Use different passwords for every account. It is a good idea to write down the passwords so that you do not have to worry that you might forget them. You can have a diary hidden at a safe place that has all your passwords.
- Secure your computer hard drive
Your computer or laptop is like a huge storehouse of your personal information. Though your data is password protected, the hacker would be able to gain access to every file on the computer once they get entry into it. You should turn on automatic encryption to avoid any such situation. Use FileVault or BitLocker to protect the hard drive of your computer.
- Set two-factor authentication to protect all your accounts
It is likely that the hacker uses another device to sign in to your account. You should set two-factor authentication so that if anyone attempts to access your account through a new device will be asked to enter a code that will accessible only to you, that is, through a one-time password sent as a text message. This can be done for email accounts as well as social media platforms.
- Adopt DuckDuckGo for sensitive searches
DuckDuckGo is a good option to carry out sensitive searches that are risky to carry out on Google. If you are apprehensive of using Google, DuckDuckGo can be your alternative search engine.
- Install Click & Clean add-on in Google Chrome
Click & Clean is an advanced security add-on that aids you with the following steps:
- Clear browsing history
- Delete download history
- Remove temporary files
- Scan your device for malware
- Clear cookies and cache
- Clean up the traces of every activity you have performed on the Internet
- Free up more disk space
Click & Clean is a robust solution that performs all these tasks effectively and that too without charging a penny.
- Add the Unshorten.link extension
Hackers deceive the users through shortened links that redirect to a suspicious website that can download malicious software on your device. Using the Unshorten.link extension can automatically expand the shortened link and analyze it for malware so that you know where the link is targeted to. Additionally, it also deleted the known tracking cookies from the URL.
- Use Credit Card Nanny extension for Chrome
There are certain forms that appear to be secure with SSL Certificates and encrypted. These look safe to enter sensitive information but provide the data entered on the form to the site administrators in the form of a plain text email. Credit Card Nanny recognizes such forms and displays a warning that your sensitive information is at risk.
- Avoid relying too much on the incognito mode
Incognito mode does not always ensure your privacy. This feature does not conceal your browsing history from your ISP, employer or websites you visit. Also, it does not stop people from peeping into your device.
- Block suspicious websites through Simple Blocker extension
Simple Blocker enables you to block specific domains or the complete website at just one click. It is perfect to avoid distractions as it blocks those websites that end up taking too much of your time. Simple Blocker gives you an unlimited blacklist so that you can block as many websites as you want.
Final Thoughts
Hackers have got innovative ways to get access to the personal information of users. If you want to overcome this risk, you ought to follow these simple tricks. Mitigation of cyber threats is one of the most crucial aspects of the online world and together with Chrome extensions, we can give it a tough fight – FOR SURE!
