Five Basic Guidelines on Online Privacy

By Anele Patriarca

The worldwide web has a wealth of knowledge and literally millions of terabytes of data which
can be easily retrieved and takes time to be discarded. Whatever you put online is just stored
on servers until it is needed or accessed. To this effect, anything that you post, submit, accept,
or reply to, can be used to potentially find out who you are, where you are, what you are doing,
and other pertinent information you would not want to share publicly.

There are several ways you can protect your privacy while using the internet. They are not
really that difficult to do and some of the basics are really just common sense solutions to an
ever-growing problem.

1. Don’t give out your personal information to people you’ve just met
Those who are fond of social networking sites and chatting online should always
be careful of the potential danger that whoever you are talking to may not really be who
they say they are. It would be prudent not to give out any personal information like your
home address, phone number, or place of business until you are sure that this person
can be trusted and not another Hannibal Lecter.
With the lightning fast connections now, and the prevalence of smart phones, it
is so easy to post pictures and your whereabouts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or
other social networking sites in real time. This means that people can find out where
you are exactly and can easily follow you around. Try to limit the people who can see
these posts to people you trust, like your family and real friends by accessing the
security section of these sites and apps. Also, turn off location services when you don’t
really need it.
In the online world, it is best to follow this simple rule - Less is more. The less
personal information you give, the more you protect your privacy.

2. Manage different email accounts

Keep a personal email for all your necessary mailing needs, but also open a
second, third or even fourth email for other transactions like online shopping, chatting,
and social networking sites. This will limit the amount of emails or notices you receive to
that specific email address. Never use your office email address for these purposes. You
have to assume that your internet activity at the office is monitored and can be
accessed at anytime.
Never reply to spam messages as doing so may lead to harmful spyware or
viruses that could be used to access your computer. Hackers can get information from
your computer, use it to attack other computers, or control your computer remotely.
Finally, change your password periodically to minimize the risk of being hacked.
Also include uppercase letters and numbers to make it more difficult to figure out. Just
make sure that it is a password you can remember.
3. Delete your browser’s cookies
Cookies (browser cookies, web cookies or HTML cookies) are files created by
websites you have visited that store browsing information. It may contain your user ID
and password so you do not have to keep typing them when you enter a particular site.
However, this can also be used to gather data and keep track of your every move in the
Internet. These harmful cookies are shared with other companies even without your
permission for marketing purposes.
To avoid these tracking attempts, it is best to delete cookies every time you close
your browser.

4. Be aware of the website’s security

Some sites require that you give your credit card information, bank information,
PIN, mailing address, etc. in order to make a transaction. These sites are either for
making purchases (like iTunes and Amazon) or accessing your bank account online.
Make sure that you have a secure/encrypted connection before accessing the site. A
secure site will normally have “https://” instead of your typical “http://” address. You
will also see a closed lock icon at the bottom of IE (Internet Explorer) and Mozilla
Firefox.
Never transact with a website/vendor that you don’t trust. Remember, it is
better to be safe than sorry.
irst, look at the address bar in your browser to see if the URL looks real. You should also check to
see if the web address begins with https:// – which signals that your connection to the website is encrypted
and more resistant to snooping or tampering. Some browsers also include a padlock icon in the address bar
beside https:// to indicate more clearly that your connection is encrypted and you are more securely
connected.

5. Refrain from installing programs which are not verified

Many people like downloading games, music, movies and programs online which
can be dangerous if you are not sure where it came from. The most secure programs are
from the actual makers of the program or from reputable sources. It may come with a
price, but you can be sure that what you are getting is a clean version without any
spyware or virus which can ruin your computer. Installing tons of programs on your
computer is not just a hazard, but also causes your system to run slowly.
Spyware, Trojan horses, and Worms can infect your system and lie undetected
until it is remotely accessed by the hacker. So, make sure that you have a working and
updated anti-virus and a reliable firewall. A good anti-virus can detect and prevent you
from destroying your system, but if it’s not up-to-date, it might not be able to
distinguish a new type of virus or prevent someone from entering your system. Scan and
clean your system periodically or you can schedule it automatically in your anti-virus.