3 Easy Things You Can Do to Protect Your Privacy Online

Sly Chat
2 min readNov 25, 2016

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[CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

1- Use a Password Manager

Or at least, use a proper password. This seems obvious, but even the most tech-oriented of us can get lazy and use an easy password over and over again for the sake of convenience.

The risk of doing this is that if one online account is hacked, hackers may attempt to use the same password and email information on other websites, causing your entire online identity to be put at risk.

Ideally, you should use a password manager to create several high quality passwords for all of your accounts which you would change on a regular basis. PC Mag recently did a round-up of some of the best password managers out there at a variety of different price points.

2- Use a VPN

VPNs, or “virtual private networks,” are a simple way of blocking potential online threats when you connect to the internet. When you use a VPN, your internet activity is rerouted through another server so that your browsing cannot be directly traced. For optimal online browsing protection, it’s best to use a VPN at all times.

Prices for VPNs vary but you can find many high-quality options for around $10.00 per month. This is a bit of an investment, but using VPNs is one of the most effective ways to encrypt your online information and protect yourself from cyber attacks.

3- Use an Encrypted Messaging App

By choosing not to use an encrypted messaging app you are effectively giving up your right to online privacy.

Even in just the past few weeks, several shocking cases regarding the use of metadata and monitoring tools by law enforcement and security agencies have come to the public’s attention.

Using an encrypted messaging app, such as Sly Chat, is a great way to ensure that your everyday online communications stay private.

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Sly Chat

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