These days, most of us live our lives on the Internet. Whether for business or pleasure, we’ve quickly adapted to doing almost everything online—from paying our bills to watching new TV series and films. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok have become a more significant part of our day-to-day more than ever.
Your data privacy and security must be your utmost priority!
That said, have you ever thought about all the private data the Internet has about you? We’re all too familiar with stories of identity theft, phishing scams, and so on. With all the personal information we’re required to divulge, it’s more important than ever to take responsibility for our data and keep ourselves safe from malicious attacks—and here are simple ways to get started!
- Use strong and complex passwords.
Avoid using birthdate or initials for passwords! Create one that cannot be easily cracked or decoded, composed of lower and upper-case letters, numbers, and symbols as an ideal combination.
We get that using and remembering complicated passwords can be a pain. That’s why you can opt to have a password manager like Kaspersky to help you keep track of your passwords instead of memorizing them.
- Using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
You may also opt to use two-factor authentication to add another layer of protection to your accounts. 2FA is used to ensure that people who are trying to access an online account are who they really are. You may get a link to your email, a code through SMS, or random numbers from an authenticator.
- Always check a website’s legitimacy and security.
Exploring on the Internet is undoubtedly fun, especially with your fast PLDT Home internet; but before you get too excited and enter your personal details into every website that asks for it, make sure to look if the site’s connection is secure and that it’s safe to visit. There are various ways to determine if the site is trustworthy, such as checking the website’s security status, privacy policy, contact information, or a “verified secure” seal.
- Don’t share everything online.
If everyone’s sharing everything on social media, why not you? Well, giving away too much information on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok makes it easier for cybercriminals to obtain your personal information, which can help them steal your identity or access your data. There’s a healthy limit to the details of your life you should share online. Be cautious when posting your location, address, birthday, or other personal details that may be used to compromise your safety.
- Never click suspicious links.
When reading through emails or receiving messages from unknown senders, you should always be vigilant. Don’t just click any link sent to you. Even if a link looks legitimate, they can still lead you to unknown websites that can put your data at risk. These unverified links also increase the risk of exposure to malware or identity theft. Phishing is widespread, and it is usually used to hack into accounts to obtain sensitive information that may be used to apply for credit cards or loans, rob bank accounts, or even sell the data.
According to Statista, phishing was the most commonly reported cybercrime in the U.S. in 2020, with 241,342 complaints. In the first quarter of 2021, 611,877 uniquephishing sites were detected globally. Your chances of being targeted by a phishing attempt are high, so you should be ready to respond if you accidentally tap a malicious link. Always remember, though, prevention is better than cure!
- Browse in private.
If you don’t want web browsers to remember your activity, you can always browse the web privately. Private browsing is a feature offered by leading browsers to help keep your temporary browsing data confidential. By doing so, it won’t save your browsing history, cookies and site data, or information entered in forms.
These are just some simple ways you can follow towards digital privacy! Remember to be cautious and mindful of whatever actions you take online. “Think before you click” might be cliche, but that saying never gets old and will always be one good piece of advice.