Why is your privacy so important if you have nothing to hide anyway? That’s what you might be thinking. But even if you have nothing to hide, losing control of your data can lead to risks. Here is why it is very important to achieve online privacy.
You avoid abuse:
On the face of it, there’s nothing wrong with sharing some data with organizations. But that’s precisely the problem: if someone misuses your data, you only notice it when it’s too late. The same goes for the impact of this abuse on you as an individual, on society, and even on democracy.
Profiling:
Companies and organizations use your data to build a defined profile of you. Based on this profile, certain decisions concerning you are sometimes taken without you knowing it. Organizations may also send you personalized advertising to influence your behavior.
Offenses:
You lock the door to your house, don’t you? Know that sharing your data online is like letting intruders into your home. A boon for perpetrators of a range of offenses such as hacking, extortion, and identity fraud.
Population influence:
The best-known example is the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This company misused the data of millions of social media users in an attempt to influence elections.
You stay in control:
The more you know about your privacy rights, the fewer organizations will be able to abuse your data. And you keep control of your data at all times.
A free and informed choice:
You can share your data with whoever you want. For example, do you like to receive personalized advertising? Fine, but only if you are free to decide how, when and why organizations process your data. Keeping control of your data is a way to preserve your critical thinking and your free will.
Right reaction:
The more you know about your privacy rights, the fewer organizations will be able to abuse your data. You will then also know how to react when you lose control of your data and wish to exercise your rights.
How to achieve online privacy?
There are multiple steps you can take to achieve online privacy. Here we have enumerated the most crucial of them. Let’s check them out:
1. Keep your operating system up to date:
This basic exercise is, on many occasions, our best antivirus. The simple act of updating our operating system is a significant barrier against cyber threats. Companies are constantly working on improvements to their operating systems that put a stop to cybercriminals. Having the system always updated will be a certain guarantee of the first success against hackers.
2. Use strong passwords:
Forget 12345 or your date of birth. A complete password, which includes alternating lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and different characters, will always be our ally.
Another issue, just as important to take into account, is not to repeat the same password for all our online accounts: social networks, online banking, email, etc. In this way, we will minimize the damage in the event that a password is stolen.
3. Download apps only from official sites:
Both from our web browser and stores such as the Play Store or the Apple Store, we must pay attention. Many internet sites offer altered popular programs, including some type of malware in their offer, infecting our system just by clicking to download it.
4. On social networks, only known contacts:
Social networks constitute one of the most powerful focuses when we talk about cyberthreats. Both instant messaging apps and networks such as Facebook or Instagram can be an entry point for any cybercriminal. Malware, phishing, or, above all, cyberbullying can be avoided by simply adding known people with whom we already have some kind of previous relationship.
5. Nobody has to know where you are:
In line with the previous point, and speaking of social networks, it is becoming more and more popular to show our location; extra information that can be exploited by cybercriminals to undertake both online and physical actions. There are many cases in which, after tracking their victim through social networks, criminals carry out physical robberies in homes.
6. Do not open emails from unknown senders:
Receiving an email from an unknown source is usually common and we must be careful, avoiding clicking on links or downloading attachments.
If you receive an email or call from an unknown person, it is recommended to use an online tool like Nuwber where you can cross-check the basic details of that person including email id, contact number, etc. That will give you some peace of mind and help decide if answering in that situation is worth it.
7. Be careful with your images:
Returning to the subject of social networks, it is very common to upload photos and also add a description, giving too much information. Take care of the security of your profile and if you can avoid sharing details of the places you visit.
8. WiFi networks – yes, but known:
The use of the WiFi network is universal and we do not have to run away from this connection. Of course, we must ensure that, if the connection is through public networks, our information is not sensitively exposed to be attacked.
In these cases, the best and most prudent thing is not to carry out relevant actions. That is, reading the newspaper through a public network is okay, but never carry out online banking actions or any type of purchase in which we expose our financial data: the most likely to be attacked in these cases. Or use a VPN to hide your location. Nowadays, there are even secure free VPNs, such as Avast or CyberGhost.
9. On public computers – private sessions:
In the same way, as in the previous point, our alert must be greater when we are using public computers in libraries or different leisure centers. In these cases, the most cautious thing to do is to navigate through incognito mode. So, we will not leave a trace of our navigation and other people won’t see your previous actions.
10. Cover your webcam when you’re not using it:
It is not about being paranoid, but about being cautious. A lot of malware have the necessary characteristics to activate our webcam at any time and collect scenes from our privacy. In order not to succumb to this cyber threat, the most appropriate thing to do is to cover our camera whenever it is not being used.
