8 Simple Ways To Protect Your Online Privacy

With almost everyone relying on the internet to perform tasks, there is
barely anything like privacy. All your personal information are readily
available to everyone by simply googling your name. However, you can
control the information others have access to online thereby guaranteeing
your online privacy by taking certain steps.
*Password all your devices*

Protect all your devices with passwords and that includes your computers,
tablets, smartphones and anything other gadgets with your personal data on
them. If it is unsecured by a password, your lost or stolen gadget will
become a source of personal information for whoever has it and this can
lead to identity theft.

*Use two-factor authentication*

The two-factor authentication is becoming very popular today. Activating
this feature will not give you or any other person immediate access to your
accounts. Instead, when you login, you will need to enter a special code
that the website texts to your phone. No code, no access.

*Do not share too much information on your social media profile*

The more information you share online, the easier it’s going to be for
someone to get their hands on it. One of such ways to get this information
is via social media. So, check your social media profiles and remove
information such as date of birth, phone numbers and email addresses.
Anyone who wants to contact you should send a Direct Message.

*Enable private browsing*

If you don’t want anyone with physical access to your computer to see your
online activities, you should enable private browsing which is a setting
available in all major web browser. Enabling it will automatically delete
cookies,  browsing history and temporary Internet files after you close the
window.

*Set up a Google alert for your name*

This is one of the easiest ways to keep track of everything someone may be
saying about you on the website. With the activation of Google alert, you
will be alerted immediately if someone illegally accesses your information.

*Pay for transactions with cash*

If you do not want to give out your card information online, you should use
the cash on delivery option to pay for online transactions. You know some
of these websites can sometimes be unreliable.

*Keep your computer virus free*

If your computer is infected by a virus or malware, hackers will not only
have access to your information to steal your identity, but they may lock
up your files and ask for a ransome to get them back. You will have to pay
if the files are important to you.

*Do not  rely on search engines*

If you don't like the idea of your search history being used to do
business, you can switch your search engines. This is because many of us
rely heavily on Google Chrome. So, make it a rule of thumb to switch your
search engine.