While browsing the web alone, you might feel like you have complete privacy whereas in reality all your personal information could be exposed within seconds. Online privacy or lack thereof is one of the most popular topics in today’s digital age. Are we safe when surfing the web? Sadly, the answer to this question is no, because many factors significantly impact online privacy. Below is a list of some of the major threats that you might not be aware of!
#1 Web Tracking
Web tracking is a popular and common practice where websites use cookies (small pieces of code) to track your online activity. Each time you visit a website that uses cookies, that piece of code is installed into your browser and used to track everything you search for from that point onward. Companies use this data to improve their advertising campaigns and display ads that are related to your interests. While some people like having ads they are interested in following them wherever they go online, others take this as a serious invasion of privacy. It is up to you to decide what crosses the line, even though web tracking is pretty close to our lower bar of security standards.
#2 Lack of Security
The lack of security online will always be one of the major threats users have to deal with daily. The internet is full of unprotected websites that still use the outdated HTTP standard. Make sure to stay away from websites that don’t have the S in HTTPS, as these sites are much more likely to be monitor and snooped by hackers, governments, and other third parties. Interacting with unprotected sites is by far the easiest way to get your data and device in trouble when it comes to security issues.
#3 Public WiFi
The worst thing you can do to your online privacy is betraying it by consistently accessing public WiFi networks. Open networks don’t have any layer of protection, which makes them extremely easy to breach and manipulate. Thus, all users connected to open networks are exposed to serious security threats, from personal data theft, identity theft, financial loss, and worse consequences. If you know that you will be connecting to a public WiFi, at least download a virtual private network service in advance to add an extra layer of protection to your data.
#4 Social Networking
Lastly, people have been so blinded by the idea of social networks that they forgot that social networking is one of the major threats to their security. Social networks expose and freely display people’s personal information such as photos, contacts, interests, and location. Since geo-tagging became a trend, everyone started tagging their location on Facebook or Instagram without realizing they are putting themselves in danger. Besides, social media accounts provide so much personal data that stalkers don’t even have to hack your device to get to it. All they have to do is send you a friend request.
Conclusion
Many users nowadays forget how exposed their data truly is every time they log into their online accounts. It is important to take the first step as soon as possible to protect your online privacy, whether that first step was deleting unnecessary information from your Facebook profile or installing a virtual private network.
Make use of all the privacy settings on all your social media accounts to protect your data as much as possible. To go a step further, look into the NIST cybersecurity framework for more information on how you can keep your devices safe from online security threats.
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