As we increasingly integrate online activities into various aspects of our lives, the biggest challenge has always been enjoying the conveniences of the Internet while we limit what we have to sacrifice in terms of our privacy and security.
Often, we unknowingly compromise ourselves online when we allow websites to use cookies on our devices. As much as they make subsequent loading of webpages from the websites faster, they can easily track our digital footprints. Especially cookies from advertisers later use the information to tempt one into clicking on a malware-infested banner on a website that one often visits. Apart from tracking our digital footprints, they can steal personal details from our devices.
Another compromise we make is to use the same website for both our web email and as our search engine. Then, go ahead to log into our web email on the same browser and sometimes never logout for our own conveniences, not cognizant of the fact that our searches can be connected to our email accounts. Search engines take the advantage of their ability track each one of our searches to record our IP addresses, the search terms we used, the time of the search, and other information which forms a digital footprint that can be used to spy on us, send us annoying ads incessantly.
We also hardly know that logging into third party websites and apps using our email accounts or Facebook accounts is a compromise in disguise. We in the process let them into our accounts which gives them ability to alter our settings and access to our private information such as people we often contact. These third party apps and websites are very common on Facebook and often deceive us into giving them our private Facebook data and also allow them to post on our timelines.
In relation to third party logins, we also sometimes allow our browsers or apps to save our logins maybe for convenience or occasionally unknowingly. In such cases, the browser or app saves our passwords and usernames which can be easily accessed by anyone unless we have locked them under a master password. Unaware of location based tracking, we also end up giving apps and websites permissions to access our location unknowingly or sometimes knowingly. As much as checks and balances have been put in place to ensure we share only what we want to, the fact that they know our location at any given instance is an insecurity and an infringement of our privacy. Such information can be used malicious to launch in person attacks.Online banking has been a blessing in disguise.
Most often we do online bank transactions like shopping in insecure networks such as public networks or via insecure websites that end up exposing our personal bank details that make us into victims of online fraud.Last and most importantly forgotten or perhaps assumed is a comprehensive security app for our devices that is capable of curbing spyware, viruses, adware and helping us secure our personal data through helping us set access policies.
Online privacy and security tips:
To begin with, avoid logging into third party websites using your email and social media accounts. ·Also, avoid using the same website for both your web-based email and as your search engine. By using different websites for different needs you can help limit the total amount of information retained by any one website. In addition, log out of your email and clear your browser's cookies before going to other sites, so that your searches and browsing are not connected to your email address. Install a premium security software on your device to help you curb some of the compromises you make unintentionally and also help you set security policies. Use a different browser for your email account and for your searches and web browsing.·Avoid downloading search engine toolbars. Toolbars may permit the collection of information about your web surfing habits. Google combines information about you from most of its services, including its search engine, Gmail, and YouTube. Be sure to disable automatic sign-ins.