Three ways to protect your online privacy and data
Around GMA
Around GMA
Robots dance, clean, and rescue toy cats at expo in Japan Dawn Zulueta opens up on navigating menopause with grace and confidence Torres game-winner saves Benilde, forces semis do-or-die versus SBUArticle Inside Page
Showbiz News
Protect your privacy, data, and identity online using these three tips.
What we don't realize whenever we use social media or the Internet is how much of our personal and private data we're unknowingly giving away online.
With our data being easily accessible to those who know how to get it, hackers and other entities could use this information to access our private messages or track our location.
Fortunately, there are precautions we could take to protect ourselves and our information. Listed below are three ways we could use to conceal our digital footprints.
Turning off Location Services
Location Services are features found in smartphones and social media apps to determine our approximate location at any given moment. This also lets advertisers use this data to know which kinds of advertisements fit users depending on their location.
However, when using this service, we're sharing much more than just our location. In an article on forbes.com written by Danielle Citron for Forbes, Location Services also shows "intimate, revealing details about people's lives--their visits to drug treatment clinics, psychiatrists, prospective employers, and more."
In USA Today's interview with American politician Kamala Harris, she said that leaving our Location Services on puts our information at a vulnerable position which may be used against us.
According to Harris, "Broadcasting your location can sometimes expose you and your family to the risk of theft or physical harm.
"For instance, you may be unknowingly revealing your location if your phone is 'geo-tagging' your photos. … Sharing a 'selfie' without disabling geotagging can be dangerous, especially for victims of stalking or domestic abuse.''
Citron recommends turning our Location Services off to prevent being tracked online by those who would wish ill against us offline.
Using End-To-End Encryption (E2EE) Messaging Apps
Messaging apps advertised as being "end-to-end encrypted" (E2EE) are a secure way of online communication.
E2EE messaging apps mean that only the sender and recipient can read these private conversations and no one, not even the companies behind the app itself, can access it.
CybeRsecurity company Heimdal Security posted an article listing the best E2EE messaging apps which include WhatsApp, Viber, and Telegram among many others.
Use of Virtual Private Networks or VPNs
Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are a great way to stay anonymous and untraceable whenever we go online.
The website WhatIsMyIPAddress.com describes VPNs as a network that "lends you a temporary IP address and hides your true IP address from every website or email you connect with."
With our IP Address hidden, browsing the Internet will be a safer and more secure experience.
To access a good Virtual Private Network, one must avail of the service of a VPN provider. The website thebestvpndeals.com made a list of the best secure networks which includes NordVPN, Surfshark, and PrivateVPN, among others.
In this age of information, it is vital that we stay proactive in protecting our personal data against those who might weaponize it against us.
