In 2023, most people make use of the Internet daily. They hop onto their phones, tablets, and computers to work, browse social media, consume entertainment, shop for products/services, pursue education, make social plans, and connect with family members and friends.
Spending so much time online means that you have to think about safety in a new way. Physical risks are not the only reason for caution in this world, especially when your personal information is much more vulnerable to theft online.
Taking steps to protect your identity online could prevent frustrating situations from occurring such as identity theft. Let’s take a look at some strategies that can help you secure your personal information when online.
Keep Software Updated
The devices and applications you use frequently often require update patches. In many cases, these updates strengthen the security of the personal information that is stored on that device or within the application. If you ignore updates for long periods, it is possible that you will be vulnerable to having your data shared with the wrong parties or stolen. This is especially important for security programs. Make sure that you consistently update the various software programs and devices that you use so that data protection is prioritized.
Create Unique Passwords
You probably have many accounts online that require a password to be accessed. Unfortunately, this leads some people to use the same password for many accounts, maybe with just a small alteration or two to change it up. This could compromise your online safety if one of your passwords is discovered as it could grant access to multiple accounts that you want to keep private. Try to create unique passwords for various services and maybe record them on a note on your phone or a piece of paper in a secure location at home.
Be Wary of “Free” Entertainment
There are endless scams on the Internet. The people behind these schemes know how to trick certain people into giving up personal information. Say, for example, you want to watch free movies online. There are plenty of safe platforms to do so, but many more are simply trying to collect your information and take advantage of you. Be wary of consuming free entertainment because that label often requires you to share your personal information to access the content. Look up these sites to ensure they are legitimate before sharing your name, phone number, and other personal information with them.
Use a Temporary Phone Number
Many services and products online require you to sign up in order to reap the benefits. Everything from ordering an Uber ride to subscribing to an e-newsletter may ask you to provide information like your email and phone number. Perhaps you want to be more cautious about using your personal phone number to receive certain services. Fortunately, learning how to get a fake number is easy because some services provide real USA phone numbers that you can rent temporarily. This prevents you from having to share your actual number when requesting products or services.
Shop In-Person More Often
An easy solution to protecting your data online is to spend less time on the Internet. The less you are present on the Internet, the less likely you are to have your data stolen. Although the Internet has made online shopping incredibly convenient, it is sometimes safer to protect your information by shopping in person. You could go out and support local businesses that may not have a strong online presence yet. Although transactions at stores often occur online anyway, depending on the brand’s point-of-sale system, there is not an exchange of information between your device and the company’s, which leaves it a little more vulnerable.
Avoid Suspicious Links and Attachments
If you are like me, then you probably receive tons of spam emails and even texts on your phone that seem suspicious. Often, these messages contain false language and links or attachments that they convince you to click on. For emails, it is easy enough to look up the domain name from the email address that sent the message, but you need to be a little more careful with text messages. Avoid clicking on any links or attachments that are sent to you from strange sources. Clicking them will likely result in compromised personal information. When in doubt, look up these messages to see if they are associated with common scams without clicking on the links.
Do Not Take Online Safety for Granted
It is easy to feel resigned to the fact that your information is a free-for-all online. This type of perspective can cause you to become lackadaisical about protecting that data. Do not fall into this mindset. Although your information is likely out there, you can still mitigate access to it by following some of the steps listed above.
