5 top tips that will help you protect your privacy and beat identity theft — Avira Blog
Online security and privacy are a huge topic nowadays. It often feels like you are powerless when faced with companies like Google and Facebook. Their widgets, logins, and cookies are everywhere, collecting everything about you they possibly can. A lot of people feel like they are fighting a losing battle — quite a few have given up already. If you feel the same way, we have good news for you: There are easy things you can do to reclaim your privacy — we’ll show you how, in our free ebook!
Always remember: Privacy is a choice — and it does not have to be a hard one. Here are some pointers to make this choice an easier one.
Tip #1: Facebook
Facebook is huge. It’s everywhere and collects your data not only if you are logged in with your account but also when you visit different pages with social counters, etc. It is also a well known fact that Facebook is not too privacy conscientious and has no scruples when it comes to giving away your data for their own gain. There are things you can do though: Minimize what Facebook is allowed to collect about you, prevent it from tracking you, and make sure you have your Facebook privacy settings under control.
Tip #2: Google
Just as with Facebook, Google is tracking your every move. You use Google as a search engine? It saves your searches and clicks. You use Google Maps? Then it knows exactly where you were. And let’s not forget YouTube and Android! Luckily Google itself provides a lot of tools to help you make sure that you can at least keep some of your privacy. All you need to do is make sure you use them correctly — so head over to their Privacy settings and take a closer look.
Tip #3: Amazon’s Alexa
Wait a second, why is Amazon’s Alexa in this list? The digital assistant is so useful and helpful! While this may be true, you are also never alone if you let it move in. Never. It listens to everything you say, always ready to jump into action if you decide to call out its name. But that’s not all — once you decide to use its services, it also records every conversation you two have. While there is not a lot you can change to avoid this, you can always tighten its privacy settings on the Amazon page and make sure that you take sensitive conversations in a room where you are not overheard by default.
Tip #4: Managing your online accounts
It’s not always just the big tech companies that are giving you a hard time — sometimes you are your worst enemy. Have you ever asked yourself how secure your passwords are — especially your sensitive online accounts? In an era where data breaches occur on an almost daily basis, you really should make sure that you’ve covered all your bases. If you need help get it: Whether it is in the form of a VPN, a Password Manager, or a Software Updater — there are many tools that will do what you can’t do or don’t have the time for.
Tip #5: Trust an independent security company
Many known security companies have close ties to government. Many more will quietly track your data and sell them to 3rd parties. But not all. We recommend using an independent company with no formal (or informal) ties to government or Big Tech.
Do you need more concrete tips? Download our free ebook now and find out how to protect your privacy and beat identity theft.
Originally published at https://blog.avira.com on June 11, 2019.
