There was a time when the internet was associated with anonymity. Now it’s proven that the Internet is where the most information about us can be gathered.
Cambridge Analytica has been the latest incident to highlight just how important the information we post online can be.
Data can no longer be used just to steal our money from the bank, but also to influence what we buy, where we travel, where we eat, or perhaps even who we vote for.
Here are eight tips to help you avoid sharing personal information that only concerns you online.
1. Check your email
A very easy way for hackers, spy agencies, and apps to obtain your personal information is through your email.
From there, they access your contacts, your movements, and the information you share.
To find out if your email has been compromised, it’s just a simple step. Just enter your email address at Haveibeenpwned.com.*
This web service has a database of all compromised accounts at companies such as Adobe, Stratfor, Gawker, Pixel Federation, Yahoo!, Sony, and Vodafone.
If so, Haveibeenpwned gives you three easy steps to follow: change your password, add more than one authentication method, and have them notify you if there’s a new email account breach so you’re always on the alert.
2. Block strangers
There are services like Bluetooth or AirDrop that allow you to send and receive files to and from people around you, even if you don’t know them.
If you have it enabled, make sure you can only receive files with your consent, or disable it completely. You may be at risk of contracting a virus that could compromise your data.
3. Avoid “smart pricing”
You may know that the more you check the price of tickets on an airline or flight search engine, the more expensive they become. This is called “personalized pricing” or “smart pricing.” Companies sense your interest and take advantage of it. It’s the age-old law of supply and demand.
To avoid this, you can browse incognito or check the same dates from different devices and see if prices continue to increase.
4. Clean up
Experts recommend that at least once a year, you stop and clean up your phone and Facebook.
This way, you’ll eliminate apps you don’t use and that only collect data without knowing why.
The same goes for those friends or contacts you have on Facebook that you don’t talk to. Do you really need them to know all the information you share on the social network?
5. Protect your friends
Whether you choose to allow an app to access your photos or location is your decision, but keep your friends safe.
Allowing an app to view your address book leaves your friends vulnerable. Remember, this is how Cambridge Analytica obtained millions of pieces of data without the consent of social network users.
6. Childhood, off the grid
If you protect your friends’ information, protect your children’s information too. When you share a photo of them, keep it private. If you make it public, Google will find it, and everything on Google is accessible to everyone.
7. Value your privacy
It’s obvious, but we often underestimate what the internet knows about us and don’t protect ourselves enough.
You may not have anything to hide, but no one you don’t want to know what you like and mark the movies you have to see or the sweater you want to buy.
