Digital Privacy: Protecting Your Data Online

What is digital security? Physical security is often pretty straightforward—locks or sensors on your doors and windows, strategically placed cameras—because it’s easy to see how and why they work. Answering “What is digital security?” can be a little more obscure, as it’s in place to protect your identity, personal data, and other assets. Remember that while your personal information isn’t necessarily a physical object, cybercriminals can steal it and make millions of dollars off of it. Everything from your everyday passwords to the facial recognition feature on your phone is a digital security measure you can use to keep your personally identifiable information (PII) safe.

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Ways to improve your digital privacy Of course, you can always improve your digital privacy by implementing antivirus software or being more cautious with your online habits—but here are a few more ways to improve your online privacy and security.

• Don’t share quite so much. Social media has made it easier than ever for all of us to keep in touch. You can live thousands of miles away from your best friend and still feel like you’re an everyday part of one another’s lives. Although, we sometimes get a little lax with who we’re befriending online. Be careful who you’re adding as a friend on your social media platforms and what you’re sharing. You might share too much information with someone you thought you could trust simply by posting a screenshot of your phone to Facebook.
• Use unique passwords. It’s normal to have your favorite passwords when creating online accounts. It doesn’t matter if you’re opening a bank account or signing up for a 20% discount at your favorite online store; use unique passwords everywhere you go online. Hackers know that many people will use the same passwords across multiple platforms, so figuring out a single password can be their key to unlocking your information across many online locations.
• Adjust privacy settings in your social media accounts and online games. Anytime you sign up for a social media platform or start playing an online game, there will be options for how you would like your information displayed on the platform. One of the first things you should do is go into your settings and limit the exposure. Whether this means making your Instagram account completely private, limiting Facebook visibility to your friends only, or limiting your kids’ chat to quick chat on Among us, you can usually customize your online appearance.

• Update your antivirus software. Running antivirus updates can be a cumbersome and annoying process. Do it anyway . Yes, your device always seems to want to restart when you’re in the middle of something—so you keep putting it off, and it doesn’t happen for several days. It’s important that you run the update and restart your device as soon as possible because it relies on the information from the update to keep your device safe from security threats . Even if you don’t feel that your device holds critical information and malware isn’t that big of a problem, it can still be used in a much larger attack. Running effective antivirus software is part of being a responsible online citizen.
• Delete unused apps and browser extensions. Every app you have on your device and extension you download to your web browser has limited data access. Over time, apps and extensions lose support and aren’t updated to include new digital security measures. If your app or browser extension doesn’t have support, it can be vulnerable to getting hacked. Remove apps and browser extensions you’re no longer using to clean up some clutter and keep your device secure.

• Use private browsing when possible. Browsers and search engines save data from your internet search inquiries as a way to help improve your user experience. You can keep these companies from saving your data by browsing in a private or incognito window. None of your browsing or location data will be considered when using the private mode on your web browser.
• Scrutinize unknown links. It’s OK to be skeptical about a link sent in an email or text message, phishing is a common way for scammers to acquire your data Links from spam emails are often at risk of taking you to a website that will download malware to your device. If you think the source might be legitimate, but want to be extra safe, use a URL checker to see if the destination is safe.
• Don’t use saved password features. Your browser or device probably has a feature that saves your password, which is incredibly convenient, given the number of passwords we all have to try to remember each day. However, if your account gets hacked once, all your passwords could be compromised.

Every person needs to prioritize digital privacy and security to ensure that their information—and their family’s information—stays safe. You can start implementing some of these tips now to improve your device and network digital security.