10 Digital Privacy Best Practices You Should Be Following Now

The world has gone online significantly, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has only made the transition faster. These days you probably shop online, connect with friends through the internet and research the products and services you want to buy using various websites and online resources.

Maybe you even work online, connecting to the company network through your home computer and attending meetings virtually on Zoom or a similar platform. Given those new realities, it may be time to revisit your digital privacy, and here are ten best practices you should be following.

1. ?Use strong and unique passwords. If there is one thing you can do to protect your digital privacy, it is to pay attention to your passwords. Setting up individual passwords for every site, or even better, using a password manager is the best thing you can do to safeguard your privacy and online identity.

2. ?Delete your old accounts. Remember that account you set up years ago? The one you used to buy a single product and then forgot about? It is still out there online, and a data breach could reveal your personal details and your credit card information. Going through your spam folder and deleting those old accounts is a great way to boost your data privacy and reduce the risk of being involved in a data breach.

3. ?Designate a single credit card for all your online shopping. Checking multiple credit card statements can be time-consuming, and it is easy for a fraudulent charge to slip through the cracks. Designating a single card for all your online shopping will simplify your life and maximize the rewards you earn.

4. ?Remove your unneeded apps. You probably have many apps on your phone, and some get more use than others. If you have apps you no longer use, go ahead and delete them, along with their associated data. If you just got a new phone, be sure to go through it and remove apps you do not plan to use - those extra apps could be dangerous to your digital privacy.

5. ?Shop sharing so much online. Oversharing is bad form, but it is also bad for your digital privacy. Sharing too much online could reveal details you had not intended, including clues that would help a hacker guess your passwords.

6. ?Tighten up the privacy settings to protect your online life. You have more control over your digital privacy than you might realize, so take some time to check and tweak your settings. You can change settings on smartphone apps, browsers, computer programs, and more.?

7. ?Use two-factor authentication whenever possible. Having an extra layer of security is always good, so turn on two-factor authentication whenever and wherever you can.

8. ?Check your accounts regularly. The problem with digital privacy is that you may not know it has been compromised. Checking your accounts regularly and reporting anything suspicious is the best way to stop the situation from getting out of hand.

9.???Consider a VPN. A virtual private network, or VPN, creates an encrypted tunnel for your data, adding an extra layer of security for your information and shielding you from hackers out to steal what is yours. You can find VPN software for your laptop or desktop and even VPN apps for your smartphone or tablet.

10. Be suspicious of unsolicited texts and emails. Even after all this time, many people fall for phishing scams via unsolicited emails and text messages. Treating these solicitations with suspicion is the best approach, and you should always independently verify their authenticity before clicking.

Digital privacy is a vital consideration in an increasingly online world. With so much of your life now lived online, safeguarding your private information has never been more critical. Taking the ten best practices above to heart can help you protect yourself so that you can surf safely and securely.

*** Be Safe and Secure Online ***