The 7 Privacy-Enhancing Technologies to Help You Stay Safe Online

You may think you’re keeping your personal information private when you log on to social media, e-commerce sites, or other mainstream sites. But what you’re actually doing is making your personal information vulnerable to hackers, scammers, and other people who want to exploit you. Users tend to trust sites that are familiar and free of any type of hidden fees or surprises. But this trust is like handing over a key to your front door.

That front door can be easily unlocked by anyone who wants to enter your personal life. This is why it’s so important to protect your personal information. To stay safe, you need to learn the 10 privacy-enhancing technology to help you take back control of your personal information. These tips will help you reduce the amount of personal information that’s accessible to people who don’t have your best interests in mind.

Make sure your passwords are unique and strong

Use a combination of letters and numbers in your passwords. It’s a good idea to use a mixture of lowercase, uppercase, and numbers in your password. This will make it hard for anyone to guess.

Always encrypt your personal information

The first tip is encrypting your personal information. Encryption scrambles your personal information so it looks like gibberish to anyone without the key to decipher it. This means that even if hackers or other people who want to exploit you get a hold of your personal information, they won’t be able to do anything with it.

Even though encryption scrambles your personal information, it doesn’t mean you should stop using these sites. Encrypting your data just helps you stay safe while still using the site.

Use incognito mode when browsing

One of the easiest ways to protect your personal information is to use an incognito browser. Incognito mode gives you a private browsing window that’s separate from your regular browsing sessions. When you’re in incognito, you can search for products online and shop without fear that someone will be able to see what you’re doing. In addition, this mode prevents website tracks and cookies from following you around during your browsing sessions.

Install an ad blocker

Ad blockers are the most effective way to protect your personal information. Ad blockers block ads before they load and stop them from tracking your personal information. When you install an ad blocker, you can rest assured that any website you visit is not collecting or selling your personal information.

Turn on 2-factor authentication

2-factor authentication (2FA) is a security feature that requires an additional authorization step to gain access to your accounts. The 2FA process automatically sends you a text or an app notification on your phone when you log in from an unknown device. This lets you know someone is trying to access your account without your permission, giving you the ability to block them before they get too far.

Review the privacy policies of your online accounts

If you want to stay safe online, it’s crucial that you review the privacy policy of every site and app you use. The first step is to read the terms and conditions of your account so that you can understand what data your service providers collect and how it will be used. This is where the line gets crossed, so be sure to carefully read through all of the legal jargon before agreeing to anything. The next step is to download a privacy browser extension like Privacy Badger or uBlock Origin.

These extensions will help you block third-party trackers from websites that may be stealing information about your browsing habits. You don’t have to worry about these tracker because they won’t know who you are or where you are, which means they can’t sell your personal information.

When using these tools with your social media accounts, make sure you connect them with your Facebook account instead of connecting them with an individual account for each social media platform. This way, any information that’s gathered about your activity on social media will be linked back to one central profile in case something ever happens.

Don’t share personal information on social media

Social media is only a tool for enjoyment. If you share personal information on social media, you risk exposing yourself to scams and other types of online harassment.

Conclusion

The online sphere is a scary place, but these were a few simple steps you can take to protect your privacy and security.

To know more about such things, connect with us at arbelosgroup.com