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We all know that securing your accounts with a strong, unique password and a password manager is best for security, but what about if you want to boost your actual online privacy? You can do plenty of things to keep your information private, and these easy-to-follow steps make a big difference.
Besides masking your IP address, there are severalreasons why you should use a VPN. These services often feature handy security features, such as a kill switch that protects your identity if the connection goes down. Moreover, if a security breach occurs, you’re less likely to be negatively affected.
VPNs also have non-security-related advantages, such as accessing geo-restricted content and saving money on shopping and flights. Some of the best VPNs includeExpressVPN,NordVPN, andSurfshark. You can read this comparison betweenNordVPN and ExpressVPNif you’re thinking about subscribing to either of those services.
If you’d prefer a free VPN, you may useProtonVPN’s free tier. Before signing up, check out thekey differences between Proton VPN Free and Premium.
2Set Your Browser to Not Save Search Results
You’ll often hear advice telling you to browse in incognito mode to enhance your online privacy. This is a good start, but you can take things further and tell your browser not to save your search results. Like browsing incognito, trackers and advertisers won’t be able to monitor what you’re doing online.
How you stop your browser from saving search results will depend on which one you use. If you use Chrome, read this guide onhow to stop Google Chrome from saving your browsing history. Things are more difficult on Safari, but you can open a private window and clear your browsing history each day. Enabling iCloud Private Relay is also a good idea; here’severything you need to know about using iCloud Private Relay.
3Use a Secure Email Service
Your emails are some of the most sensitive correspondences you send and receive online. While some email service providers offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE), most don’t, and your emails may be readable in your inbox (or elsewhere during transport). However, you can claw back your privacy using a secure email service, one ofyour computer’s most essential security tools.
Proton Mail is one of the most popular solutions, and you may also use Tuta Mail to send and receive secure emails. Both have free plans, but you can only use Tuta for personal use if you choose a free version.
You canexpect several features from secure email providers, such as metadata stripping, two-factor authentication (2FA), and end-to-end encryption.
4Audit Your Social Media Presence
Social media platforms have a long history with privacy, and much of that history is not positive. Fortunately, you canstop Instagram from tracking your online activity, and the same goes for other platforms. Auditing your social media presence is a good place to start.
When I wanted to think more carefully about how I used the internet in 2019, I started by quitting every social media app. During that time away, I thought about which ones I genuinely wanted to use and got rid of the rest. By cutting the number of platforms I was on, I automatically stopped a number of apps from accessing my data.
Even if you decide to stay on social media, you can still claw back your online privacy by not having the apps on your phone. After deleting them, you may also find that you use these apps less. You should alsoavoid posting personal informationon any social media you use.
5Encrypt Your Messages
You probably don’t want others to see the texts you send to friends and family, and one way to prevent that is by encrypting your messages. Many instant messaging apps use E2EE, which you should switch on if it’s not turned on by default. Others, like Telegram, only use end-to-end encryption in a direct message; your group chats are not protected.
The app you use doesn’t matter as long as you use the security features available. WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, and there are plenty ofways to make WhatsApp more secure. However, if you’re concerned about using Meta’s services, you can switch to an app like Signal. If you aren’t sure which of these two services to use, consider checking out thiscomparison between WhatsApp and Signal.Apple’s iMessage is also very secure, so long as you see those blue bubbles.
6Only Accept Basic Website Cookie Settings
When visiting a website, you normally have two cookie options: accepting all of them and only allowing the necessary ones. If you want to keep more of your information safe, you can only accept the necessary cookie settings.
When you accept strictly necessary cookies, the website you’re visiting should only collect information essential for running the website. Some necessary cookies are used to ensure that the right website version is visible.
While internet cookies can be confusing, you can read thisinternet cookies for beginnersguide and get to grips with the basics.
7Get Your Sensitive Information Removed From Google
While some might think it’s vain to search your name on Google, it can benefit your online privacy. For example, you might find your home address accidentally found its way online.
If you find any sensitive information, you should remove it as soon as possible. Normally, you may do this by contacting the site owner. You can also create an account and change your preferences.
Besides removing information already online, you may take proactive steps tokeep your personal data off the internet.
8Don’t Use Public Wi-Fi
Even if you implement nothing else on this list, simply not using public Wi-Fi will go a long way toward securing your online data. Any unsecured network leaves you open to potential information leaks, and people can see what you’re doing while you’re connected.
If you really need to use public Wi-Fi,there are several things you should still not do. For example, you should never enter your password or use online banking. It’s also a good idea to use a VPN.
9Edit Your Location Access Settings
When you use apps on your smartphone, you’ll often be asked to change your location access settings. It happens on computers, too, but not as much. While you need to share your location for directions on Apple or Google Maps, you don’t need to do so for everything.
If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to go through your device’s location settings and turn off permissions for any app that doesn’t need it. We’ve got a full guide onhow to manage your Android location settings, and you can alsocontrol which iPhone apps have your precise location.
