Internet privacy is a growing concern for many consumers, and rightfully so. The internet is a dangerous place where people can be attacked by hackers looking to steal information that could lead to financial losses or compromise business systems. Internet privacy is a subset of data privacy, which concerns how personal information (PI) is collected and used online.
PI can be anything from your date of birth or employer to the content you view on social media. When we share this information online, it leaves us open to cyberattacks and exploitation from snoopers, hackers and advertisers alike. It can even result in being sent unwanted emails and spam.
Some individuals have a casual interest in internet privacy and may be comfortable with the revelation of certain personal details like their IP address or non-personally-identifiable profiling, which is often an acceptable trade-off for convenience. Others desire much stronger privacy and are willing to work towards achieving complete anonymity on the internet, which can be accomplished through tools such as virtual private networks, encrypted messaging apps and anonymous browsing modes.
It can be challenging to protect one’s online privacy, but it is possible. Taking simple steps such as using a VPN to encrypt web traffic and only using HTTPS encrypted sites will help to protect against the most common attacks. Using one email address for important communications and another for social media can also help to keep spam emails down and avoid oversharing. Lastly, not sharing information on public Wi-Fi is a good way to prevent snooping on your device.