Another day, another data breach. This is the troubling standard in 2019 and it doesn’t look like this is going to change anytime soon. More than ever, the personal data of individuals are being leaked, stolen and in some cases even sold throughout the dark web. Your most valuable asset in the online world, your data, clearly needs to be protected and therefore you need to add a few easy steps to your routine when surfing the internet. I don’t consider myself overly tech-savvy, so hacking computers, online accounts or databases seem unachievable to me, yet it happens every day. Is it that simple? Or are businesses and individuals just too imprudent with their online security? Let’s have a closer look at what’s going on and what you can do to protect your data.

Many services we use these days require our sensitive, personal data but because they are so convenient, we want them in our life. For example: You are out with your friends, enjoying a beautiful evening and as the party comes to an end, with the push of a button, you can get picked up by a trustworthy driver. If you don’t feel like going out, you can easily order food right to your doorstep without even getting out of bed. On vacation, using your phone to navigate has never been easier to explore places you never been to. Of course, you want to share all the amazing photos you took with your friends. With social media, you can do that in seconds. But, although these services are convenient and fun to use, they rely on our personal data such as name, address, current location and so forth. If companies didn’t collect this personal data, Uber wouldn’t know where to pick us up and drop us off or Google maps couldn’t show us which way we need to go, to get to our destination. In return, we get convenient apps and services, mostly free of charge (like with social media). The problem isn’t that data is collected when the purpose is directly related to the activity or service, it’s more what happens if it gets in the wrong hands. Personal data such as your name, birthday, medical records and other private information can be stolen with the intent of committing fraud, identity theft, and other criminal activities. Even if your data is protected by the company collecting it, hackers get better every day and are often able to steal valuable information from their databases. These so-called data breaches happen very often. Sometimes the damage is small, but in other cases it can be huge. Take for example Yahoo. In 2013 they suffered the biggest data breach to date, leaking information from 3 billion users. Companies like Facebook, eBay, Uber and many more have also fallen victims to massive data breaches.

Instead of not using these online services, there are a few other things you can do to make sure your information is safe, here are my top 5 tips to protect your data:

Use a password manager

Passwords are the only thing standing between a hacker and your online accounts. Some are carrying important information such as your health care record while other accounts only keep your dog photos safe. Whatever it may be, without passwords this information would be accessible to everyone. So how do you come up with an easy-to-remember but hard-to-guess password that is not the same on all your different accounts? Correct, a password manager. From the many different options you can choose from, some are free while others come at a little cost. I wrote a separate article about password managers, have a look at it here.

Automate your software updates

I know you’re not a fan, but software updates are essential for keeping your device up to speed with the latest measures of protection that your device’s software system has to offer. By automating these updates, you can sit back, relax, and let your device do all the work for you.

Use a firewall

A computer firewall is a software program that prevents unauthorized access to or from a private network. It monitors all in- and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules and establishes a barrier between a trusted internal and an untrusted external network. Although a firewall provides critical protection to keep your PC safe from unauthorized access, it cannot remove malware from a system that has already been infected.

Use an Antivirus Program

It’s crucial to invest in an anti-virus program that protects your devices from all kinds of malware such as trojans, spyware, ransomware, and many others. Even the most cautious surfers on the web are likely to get infected at some point, running an antivirus program decreases the chances by almost 100%. There are many options to choose from that include different benefits, some of them even have password managers.

Delete inactive accounts

List all your online accounts and ensure as soon as you don’t use an account anymore to deactivate it and request that the company deletes your data. By doing this, your account is no longer at risk of being hacked and your personal data is safe.

These are just a few tips and tricks on what you can do to be safer on the internet. Generally speaking, be cautious of who you give your information to and make sure you are aware of how it’s being used.

Protect your data! was originally published in Global Citizen Foundation on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Let’s have a look at why this (often tedious) process is important and a few easy ways to create strong passwords.

It’s crucial to remember that passwords are the only thing that stand between hackers and your online accounts.

Although some of my accounts may only be used to showcase pictures of my cats (Fluffball and Dexter), others store important information like my medical records, home address and even my credit card details.

Whichever it may be, without passwords, this information would be accessible to everyone, which is something I really don’t want. Although password creation might often feel annoying, time-consuming and meaningless, I realised that I had to make a mindshift. And you should too. Passwords aren’t just something that’s used to log you in to your accounts. Their main purpose is to keep your data safe.

An analysis of the 100,000 most common, recurring breached passwords confirmed that “123456” is the undefeatable king of popular passwords. The United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has found that 23.3 million user accounts worldwide used exactly that, placing “12345678” in second place with 7.7 million users.

So how do you come up with an easy-to-remember, but hard-to-guess password that’s different for each for your accounts? Password managers. These virtual assistants help me make the task of password creation easy, manageable and less time-consuming.

What is a password manager?

Essentially a password manager application or web extension is a tool that stores all your passwords in an encrypted vault. It’s very handy, because all your different types of passwords can be unlocked and accessed with one single identification. This makes it a whole lot easier to use different passwords throughout all of your accounts.

You can also let the tool generate passwords for you and automatically change them every 3 months, making it harder for hackers to access your data.

There are many options out there to choose from (some are free and some not), so it is completely up to you and your budget which one you are going to use.

Here are my top 5 recommendations:

LastPass:

Once you’ve set up your master password, LastPass allows you to import all of your saved login credentials (usernames and passwords). The restricted version is completely free and you can upgrade anytime if you wish to.

Dashlane:

The software stores your passwords locally in an encrypted vault, or automatically syncs them across your devices. With its digital wallet, you can also purchase from various online retailers without having a previously set up account. It’s free but also has a paid version.

1Password:

A very popular and extremely safe password manager featuring a username and password generator. The digital wallet allows you to save everything from login credentials to credit card information, and the developers are so confident in their security that they offered anyone who can break their wall a reward of $100,000. It costs $3 per month.

Keeper Security:

With the Keeper password manager, you have more flexibility with regards to the data you want to store, varying from login credentials to even your driver’s license number, passport info, and other important records. It uses 2-factor-authentication and is free.

True Key by Intel:

True Key uses fingerprint or facial recognition login processes as an alternative to the master password. When you log in to a new account, the app is smart enough to auto-generate a new password and save your information.

I personally use Dashlane, because I find the interface extremely user-friendly. To me, it’s also very important that the whole process of setting up the application and getting started is fast and easy.

Going forward, the Global Citizen Foundation is proud to announce we are closely working together with VIA, a platform that secures your digital footprint and strives to create a global data wallet. With the rapidly growing amount of IoT devices, individuals lose track of who can access and use their data or even sell it to third parties. Do you want to take back control of your data? Click here to sign up for early access and to be one of the first to test out VIA’s new product.

“We believe the ownership of personal data is a human right and the management of personal data should be an effortless experience.”

Passwords and Data Privacy was originally published in Global Citizen Foundation on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s no secret. With every passing moment, our technology is improving and getting smarter. Billions of physical devices around the world are now connected to the internet and this is called the “Internet of Things” or “IoT”.There are already examples in our day-to-day lives where we are impacted by the IoT, for instance home monitoring systems, personal activity trackers and driving apps. In the year 2017 there were 8.4 billion devices in use and this will probably reach 20.4 billion by the year of 2020. There will be more devices connected to the IoT than people living on earth.

The IoT will also have a huge impact on the devices we use at home, giving way to the new era of “smart homes”.

What is a smart home exactly and how can it help us?

Having a smart home means that your home devices will be connected to the internet and you having the power to manage them all from one place. The only thing you have to learn is how to use the app on your smartphone or tablet.

In order to give you an idea of how smart homes can help us, you need to understand how all devices are changing. Everything is getting smarter. Your whole kitchen, your speakers, your TV, your AC and many more devices are now connected to the internet and each other.

How can you take advantage of it?

Let’s use an ordinary household appliance like a dishwasher as an example. You’ll now be able to switch it on remotely from your mobile phone. Everything can be controlled with one click, no matter where you are.

Another example, which is already very popular nowadays, is the Amazon Alexa. It’s a speaker that answers questions and lets you express your music wishes.

One more thing that I think is really pleasant is that you can control the light. We all know this situation when we are already in a super warm and comfy bed and then we notice “Oops, the light is still on”. Now we can easily switch off the light via an app without having to get out of bed.

However, the IoT is not only convenient. It also has many useful applications in the area of home security. With the smart home security systems, you can view your home from any location and the system owner can get notifications immediately when something is out of order.

These are just a few examples of how useful a smart home can be for us. There are of course many more.

Despite all the advantages that these smart devices bring with them, a certain question comes to mind.

“Should we trust these devices with our private data? And if we can, are there other ways that our secured information could leak?”

We can assume that our personal data will probably be collected and stored. Let’s take the intelligent voice assistants from Amazon or Google for instance. It knows where you are, what you’re buying and what kind of music you like to listen to. An example to illustrate this is the Amazon Alexa, which after a certain time of use, knows your music wishes by itself. You can then say “Hey Alexa, play my music” and it will know what to play.

It also knows when you’re at home, how your voice sounds compared to your roommate’s, for example — and when you’ve connected it to other smart devices.

The amount of data that intelligent devices collect is enormous, but what exactly they collect varies from device to device and usage conditions.

Even anonymous data, such as when you turn on your light and whether you do it with a switch or through a voice assistant, can be used with other available information to find out other personal information about you. The fear is not only that this information may fall into the wrong hands, but also that it will be sold or shared.

A survey of consumers in Australia, France, Canada, Japan, UK and the US showed that 63% find internet connected devices frightening. 75% have no confidence in this new technology.

Are there ways to protect your data?

• Smart homes always store personal information, as the network contains personal information such as usage times and user behaviour. This is confidential information that needs to be protected. Make sure that your service provider signs a privacy agreement.
• It would also be important to have a multifunctional and efficient security concept, without any gaps, for comprehensive security in your smart home. When you’re planning on getting smart devices, ask for help from a trustworthy dealer.
• A professional installation is the basic requirement for a solid network in the smart home. He/Her will be happy to give you advice and work with you to make your safe and comfortable Smart Home a reality.
• You should always use secure passwords for your computer, tablet, smartphone, as well as for your smart home. Try to always use long, unique and complex passwords.
• It’s important to protect your network with a firewall, so that no one else can read your data. With this type of network, connections to the smart home are protected from outside by a virtual tunnel that prevents third parties from viewing or accessing your confidential data.
• Be sure to update your devices regularly, as it is important to be up to date with the latest technology. The reason for this is because the security requirements can change at any time.

If you stick to these tips, you can use the advances in technology to your own advantage without hesitation. As you can see, the Internet of Things does have some helpful features.

However, our privacy should be important enough to us that we’ll educate ourselves, before installing smart devices.

What are your thoughts about a smart home? Do you think it is helpful or do you think it should be avoided? Let me know about it in the comment section below!

The Internet of Things: What impact will the Smart Home have on your data? was originally published in Global Citizen Foundation on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Digital footprints are something everyone should know about, because every single one of us creates our own trail of data everyday, without even realising it’s happening. Footprints can reveal a lot about you by building up a detailed picture of your likes and habits. Just by posting a picture, using google maps or visiting a website, you become the creator of your own digital profile, something that is often open for many people to see.

To contain the risk that your data footprint presents, you must first understand the magnitude of it. So, let’s begin with the two types, your passive footprint and your active footprint:

A passive footprint is your personal data that is collected, often without you even knowing. This type is used to target advertisements, to build customer profiles and more. You add to your passive footprint, for instance, when you visit certain websites. Normally this data is accessed through your cookies. Have you ever wondered how Youtube knows what shoes you were just looking at? They use your passive digital footprint.

We rarely think about this type of digital footprint, however it can become a major headache in some circumstances. Every site you visit gives companies more information to store and commercialise.

An active footprint is created when someone makes deliberate choices on the internet. For example, by posting on social media or filling out online forms.

Nowadays, many people don’t even think before they post; we don’t consider the consequences, but we should be careful about what we’re posting.

A good example is when it comes to applying for a new job. Most companies are going to look at your social media profiles and even if your CV seems unbeatable, a rude comment on twitter or a drunken photo on Instagram can be enough to spoil your chances.

4 steps to protect your digital footprint:

1. Search for yourself on the internet

If you google yourself you will see everything that has been posted about you on the internet, including pictures and any content related to your name.

If you find something about yourself that you don’t want to be public, you should follow the required steps to delete it from the internet. You have a right to request the deletion of your data. This is often referred to as the ‘right to erasure’ or the ‘right to be forgotten’.

2. Delete accounts, if you no longer use them

Make a list of accounts you are using and make sure that as soon as you don’t use an account anymore, you deactivate and request that the company deletes it. By doing this, you ensure that your data is no longer online, nor at risk in a business’s database, removing the possibility of your accounts being used or exposed by hackers.

If for some reason you can’t delete an old account, update them with a false name, email address and image. Google will then eventually index these changes, which means they will no longer be visible on your digital footprint.

And always remember: You may not think about old accounts anymore, but the internet never forgets.

3. Use privacy settings and think about what you post online

If you have one or more social media accounts, you should definitely check out the privacy settings. All of these networks have a lot of information about you and you would be surprised how much information is visible to random people on the internet.

In the ‘sharing’ generation (where your Instagram is a public diary of your life), we have become increasingly unconscious when it comes to sharing our data. Younger people especially, should start using privacy settings, because teens have become more likely to share a lot of information on social media sites.

Here are some statistics of what most young people reveal about themselves online:

It’s important to be careful with what you post on the internet, because it can get used against you. And that’s not just important for teens. It applies to adults as well.

Everything you make public can be seen by everyone: future employers, teachers and universities.

A perfect example would be the story of Justine Sacco, who experienced how less than 140 characters posted online (a tweet) can change your entire life. To sum it up, she lost her job because she posted something racist on Twitter. Even if it was a joke to her, it wasn’t for everyone else. She got into a huge amount of trouble and faced tremendous backflash. That is just one little example of what can happen when you don’t think before you post.

4. Use secure passwords

Don’t use the same password for all of your online profiles. Make them easy to remember for yourself and hard to figure out for everyone else, because you don’t want strangers to enter your accounts. You can also use a password manager to memorise long and unique passwords.

So, how should a very secure password look?

• Go for length when you create a password, because the shorter it is, the easier it is to crack. Make sure it’s at least 8 characters long, but aim for 14 characters for your own safety.
• It’s also important that you try to add some complexity. Secure passwords contain symbols, punctuation, deliberate misspellings, and a blend of lowercase and capital letters.
• Add numbers to a new password, because it’s always harder for others to figure out a keyword that contains numbers and letters.
• If you’re not 100% sure about the safety of your access key, you can use a password checker. In case your password is rated weak or medium, you can add more numbers, symbols or letters to make it more complex.

A secure password would be, for example: 4_3ver#vACATI0n’

We should all understand the importance of privacy, because with every little activity on the Internet, we lose a small degree of privacy. What do you think about it and what do you do to protect your privacy? Leave a comment and tell me what your thoughts are.

Your Digital Footprint: What is it exactly? was originally published in Global Citizen Foundation on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As an organisation focused on data privacy, our quest for increased awareness around personal data is often met with the one-liner, “I don’t care who has my data, I have nothing to hide”. Yes, this may be true in the extreme senses, we assume you aren’t living a real-life version of the movie “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. You might not have a murder cover-up going on, or a catfish scheme in process — but that’s not even close to what we’re on about, either.

A massive percentage of global citizens have yet to comprehend the extreme value that their personal data holds. This might possibly come down to the misconception that the term “data” refers exclusively to your online activity and naughty penpal communications. This is not the case. We’re talking about your social security number, medical documents, credit card details, payment history, location, income, and more. This data has value and it belongs to you.

Let’s see what happens when we change the language from “I have nothing to hide” to “I have everything to protect”. Meditate on that. You have nothing incriminating to hide on your phone (I assume), but I’m sure you have measures in place to protect it. Why? Because the phone — and its contents — are valuable to you, and can be valuable to others too. This is reflected in the unparalleled increase in data breaches worldwide, whereby malicious third parties hack and attack purely for the gathering of data.

As we say at the GCF, “in the digital economy, the currency is personal data”. In other words, your personal data might hold more weight than actual money. For instance, consider this statistic from Varonis:

“The average cost per lost or stolen record in a data breach is $148.”

The levels of money required to recover from an event of compromised data also shows off its value:

“Hospitals spend 64% more annually on advertising over the two years following a breach.”

The value of data is so substantial that when breached or compromised, it can cost a company or organisation its existence, and they have to hustle hard to keep their heads above water. Recent incidents include the £183 million fine placed on British Airways after a cyberattack in 2018, or Marriott’s £99 million fine for not effectively protecting the data of millions of hotel guests. The full effects of these fines are yet to be seen, but already the price tag placed on such breaches should be a huge indication that citizens’ data is something to be protected.

So, when you say “I have nothing to hide”, hackers and corporations rub their palms together in greedy anticipation. You’re lack of interest is making it that much easier for corporations and hackers to do their dirty-data-deeds. And don’t be confused, their interest is not so much in your less-than-PG search history than it is in your social security number (think identity theft), your spending habits (think targeted advertising), and your location (“They’re out the house, let’s go.”). It’s about third-parties — often malicious — utilising your private data for their private gain, without your knowledge or consent.

What’s more, the nature of the digital landscape means that once you produce data and put it “out there” into the ether, you have neither the control nor necessarily the right to take it back; and big tech companies take advantage of this by claiming that it’s open season once you have willingly chosen to release your data — a perfect example being the highly popular FaceApp.

It skyrocketed to become the number one app in the App Store, ahead of Instagram and YouTube, with an increase in downloads of 561% on iPhones in the US. However people are starting to see through the FaceApp haze and recognise the inherent infringement this app has on our privacy. Although to be fair, it’s not like FaceApp didn’t give us the hard truth upfront in their terms of service:

“You grant FaceApp a perpetual, irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully-paid, transferable sub-licensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, publicly perform and display your User Content in all media formats and channels now known or later developed, without compensation to you. When you post or otherwise share User Content on or through our Services, you understand that your User Content and any associated information (such as your [username], location or profile photo) will be visible to the public.”

Millions of users absentmindedly handed over their “User Content” (AKA their face) along with access to their device files, and most likely their location as well, all for the thrill of seeing themselves with a couple wrinkles. Without much effort at all on FaceApp’s part, one corporation has rapidly accumulated a bottomless library of citizens’ faces and their corresponding information. We can blame FaceApp, and we should (like, who does this s*&t), but we can certainly place some accountability on users and their lack of interest in reading the terms of service.

We understand that it seems pointless to read the fineprint, especially when we learn that our android apps who promise us a certain level of privacy are the ones screwing us over. So even when you do take the time to read the pop-ups on your app, nodding in agreement as it promises to keep your data safe, there’s a very real possibility that your app has its fingers crossed tightly behind its back. This is why decent policies and ethical standards must be implemented across the board — with corporations being held fully accountable for their actions — so that all citizens can truly participate and benefit in an increasingly digital world.

What’s the gist of it all? Your personal data does have value. Lots of it. And finding companies you can completely trust is difficult. So the next question is, what measures do you have in place to not hide, but protect your digital gold? How will you stay in control? First and foremost: educate yourself. Follow leaders in the field, stay up-to-date with the latest news, keep informed on what tools are available to you, and, please, read the damn terms of service.

The Global Citizen Foundation is a non-profit organisation that is committed to creating a global framework for digital sovereignty. What actions are you taking to protect yourself in the new digital world? Let us know in the comments below, and follow us for bi-monthly articles on all things data.

Nothing to Hide, Everything to Protect: Why People Need to Care More About Their Personal Data was originally published in Global Citizen Foundation on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Data privacy. Two words encompassing the biggest trial we as a digital society are facing. Our everyday life is so utterly entwined with the online world that we are more of a digital society than anything else. Siri is our personal assistant, our Fitbit is our personal trainer, and Waze is the ever-present light that guides us through the darkness of 5PM traffic.

For a lot of people this relatively new way of existing couldn’t be any more convenient. However, some of us in the crowd are raising our hands nervously to ask, “What happened to our privacy?”. If you’re tuned into the correct frequencies you’ll hear about the hundreds of data breaches that take place annually, the uncountable occurrences of ransomware that happen on a daily basis, and don’t forget the little man listening to you through your microphone and watching you through your webcam (just kidding… I think?). (If you’re new to this space, a great place to get some context is Symantec’s annual Internet Security Threat Reports).

Joking aside, user tracking is a threat that sits at the forefront of our daily existence. Any person with a fairly capable smartphone will most likely have at least one app tracking their physical location, down to just a few yards. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, your online activity — also tracked when left undefended — gives such a detailed and comprehensive representation of you that those with access know more about you than you’re sure to be comfortable with.

We understand that being uninformed can leave you in a state of perplexity when there’s data talk in the room, but there are a few simple steps you can take to increase the control you have over your personal data. Here are five of them.

1. Change your search engine

First of all — get off Google!

It’s not news to anyone that Google — and its birth-child-browser Google Chrome — are the global crowd favourites; 57.4% of internet users use Google and Chrome, a stat that is way ahead of the runner-up competitors, namely Safari with 9.9% and Firefox with 2.33%. But here’s the thing: that’s exactly why you need to find a new search engine.

Anyone should be unsettled by the idea that one sole corporation not only contains but has undefined access to the majority of internet-users’ data. Using Google’s search platforms and accompanying apps implies that you are willing to be tracked, monitored and recorded, all for the price of convenience (we suggest reading this article from the New York times that dissects the invasiveness of Google Maps alone).

The harsh reality of the blue-eyed browser is summarised amazingly well in this article by Wired:

“But Google is not a consumer software company, or even a search company. It’s an ad company. It collects exhaustive data about its users in the service of brokering ad sales around the web. To do so, Google requires an extensive understanding of the backgrounds, browsing habits, preferences, purchases, and lives of as many web users as possible, gleaned through massive data aggregation and analysis.”

The extent to which Google physically and mentally tracks your everyday movements goes so far as to say that you are no longer categorised as a human being with free will, but rather a data point that can be predicted so accurately that advertising companies will purchase your online data with return on investment guaranteed.

To avoid being a pawn in this marketing fiasco, we suggest you swap over to a privacy-oriented search engine like Firefox or Brave. Firefox alone is the most privacy-concerned and customisable web browser. It allows for tracking protection in the private browsing mode, an ad-free reading mode and a social-sharing tool. It also has cool extras such as keeping the search box separate from the address box, something that is surprisingly important in maintaining some anonymity in your online searches. Browsers that use a single box are suspected to send all things searched to a search provider for further data aggregation.

2. Change your browser

There are a few repeats here, but for good reason. Get off Google! It’s a double whammy to use Google as both your search engine and browser as you’re essentially submitting to the surveillance capitalism that operates the online world.

There is no doubt that Google is a respectable company that has accomplished some astounding things since its beginnings, and they are trying to tackle the issue of data privacy, their goal being “to respect Google users and help them understand and control their data as they generate it in real time on Google’s services.”. However, the unfortunate truth is that “…the internet was created for easy information exchange, not user privacy, anonymization, or encrypted communication”, and Google is the embodiment of this.

With love in our hearts, we encourage you to find a new browser. There are a number of relatively reliable and trustworthy browsers available to you: DuckDuckGo is a popular one with it’s reassuring tagline “The search engine that doesn’t track you”. Because of its focus on your privacy, personalised searches are a bit amiss here; you’ll need to refine your search from “coffee shops near me” to “coffee shops in the East London area”. Small differences such as this are, in our opinion, a fair trade off for your privacy.

Qwant is another browser that comes with rave reviews due to its lack of user tracking — and thus lack of personalisation — yet relatively rich user experience. Overall, there are a number of privacy-friendly web browsers out there but it’s up to you to spend the time establishing which one will work best for you.

3. Contain your social media pages

This is a feature that I am very excited about. Gone are the days where my Google searches instantaneously start to correlate with the ads exploding all over my Facebook and Instagram page. Yes, I Googled a sauerkraut recipe once, but that does not mean I want to dedicate my eating habits solely to that of a German vegetarian — much to the surprise of my Facebook ad feed.

It’s important to face the fact that Facebook has become the social media equivalent of Google in that it’s of equal influence within the tech world. Expanding its grasp to now own Instagram and Whatsapp (and many other companies), Facebook’s relationship with users’ data privacy carries a hauntingly unnerving undertone. What’s more, with the 2019 news that Facebook plans to merge Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp messaging into one platform, eavesdropping on users has never been so temptingly easy.

Once again, an alternative search engine saves the day (if you let it). Firefox has introduced the Facebook Container Extension, allowing you to isolate your social media pages from the rest of your web browsing. As for the messaging platform, this is a bit trickier. Choosing a completely isolated platform like Signal only works if those you are texting with will swap over with you — unlikely, but not impossible.

4. Create strong, complex passwords

You’ve likely heard this one before, but paying attention to the intricacies of your passwords is an important factor in defending your online accounts from hackers. Computers are capable of generating millions of passwords per second, likely to crack any basic passwords like “Daisy123”.

It seems like a monumental task to create complex passwords for the multitude of accounts we all have online, but — as always in this fantastically convenient world — there are tools available to do the job for you. Password generators are freely available online, favourites including LastPass and Avast. These sites allow you to customise your password based on the elements it needs (numbers, capitalisation, etc.), providing you with a unique and secure password.

What goes smashingly well with your endless list of now complex passwords? A password manager. Another saving grace, password managers allow you to store all your passwords in one protected place, meaning you only need to remember one password — so make sure it’s a good one.

There are a number of great password managers out there, such as Dashlane and LastPass, however few of these are for free. Again, choosing where to invest your money could be the determining factor of how secure your private your data remains. If you’re on a limited budget, which is the case for many of us, Firefox could be your saving grave with their own private and completely free password manager Lockwise.

5. Use a VPN

Our final tip for easy online protection is using a VPN.

A large amount of users are under the impression that going into incognito mode is the only protection needed against online tracking. This is entirely false. Incognito mode may work wonders for eliminating any trace of your search history on your physical device, but this truth does not apply to the actual web.

Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an easy way to ensure that you’re sharing as little information as possible while you surf the internet. The issue that a VPN deals with is essentially your IP address; without a VPN, your searches can be traced back to your IP address, which can be used to track down your rough geographical location (amongst other things). Using a VPN redirects your online activity through a seperate, possibly distant server somewhere out there on the internet. A VPN is therefore a great tool against user tracking.

A solid VPN - like a good password manager - often comes with a price tag (without asking for an arm and a leg) - for instance the highly reputable NortonVPN is currently charging just $2.99 per month for online protection. Although we would recommend considering coughing up a few dollars a month for your protection, there are companies out there that are doing their part with no cost to you. ProtonVPN, for instance, offers a free VPN service that has no data limitation on free users.

There are plenty of resources, articles and advice available online that hand out action points for protecting and controlling your personal data. We recommend you invest the time in educating yourself on the tools and services available, as cases of compromised data are exponentially on the rise. Now that our everyday existence is rapidly morphing into the digital world, we have to arm ourselves with the correct security tools — just as you would lock your passport in a safe and secure place in your home, or split your life savings into several bank accounts.

We leave you with a question: do you want to control your data, or be unknowingly controlled by it?

The Global Citizen Foundation is a non-profit organisation that is committed to creating a global framework for digital sovereignty. What actions are you taking to protect yourself in the new digital world? Let us know in the comments below, and follow us for weekly articles on all things data.

5 Easy Steps to Secure Your Data in 2019 was originally published in Global Citizen Foundation on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

On a daily basis, more than 3.5 billion Google searches are made, 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram, and 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created — a number that is accelerating due to the growth of IoT (Internet of Things) devices. There are many more mind-boggling statistics indicating the staggering numbers of data we generate on a daily basis, far too many to mention here.

This trending increase in data transactions has great opportunities and challenges, and provides an immense consumer value in future-forward services and solutions in any key industry. However, today’s data is not controlled by the individual that creates it. Many of us, including myself, have resigned to the fact that other service providers or individuals have access to our very personal, sensitive data and we tend to believe that this usage is acceptable. We have seen a number of bad actors in the digital space harvesting data without the owner’s knowledge or consent, the Cambridge Analytica case study being one of the most well-known examples.

With the enforcement of GDPR in early 2018 a first very important step was taken towards data privacy; others followed, such as the CCPA in the US. However, the actual effect of the GDPR on the data owner can be questioned, as principal elements have not been achieved: creating consciousness about the value of digital data, understanding the power of digital technologies, and most importantly regaining control over personal data. These are the essential elements to prepare and empower the data owner in successfully participating and benefiting in the data economy/data value chains.

The motivation to create GCF

More than a year ago we started to invest greater interest into the topic of data control as the central element towards strengthening people’s consciousness on data and the power of digital technologies. This interest quickly developed into a passion as we came to see the immense value that a digital aware society will create for the future.

So the question became, “What exactly can we do here?”. We came to the conclusion that the fundamental elements needed to create broader consciousness and awareness within our society are trust, simplicity and awareness. This meant we needed an organizational structure that could be trusted and a framework that creates awareness and defines the standards and values for future, easy-to-use and impactful solutions.

As a result, we founded the Global Citizen Foundation as a non-profit organization in early 2019. The organisation’s goal is to develop digital competencies within our society, define the values that we all want to see, and work towards a digital sovereignty. We view it as our responsibility to initiate digital awareness, a digital culture and mindset and to generate a thoughtful and fruitful digital experience. We are building a holistic Global Framework that will remove the complexity of the digital experience so that every individual can establish their entry points towards digital sovereignty; whether that is an individual, a school, an organization, a business or even a country.

Let’s assume you run a school. Considering that most students are aware of the digital tools available on the market and use them on a daily basis, the global framework would serve to educate them on how to navigate the digital space safely and wisely. This would improve their understanding of the value of digital data and how they can use it in the future, not only to improve their everyday lives but to know what steps are available in any situation involving the exchange of personal data.

Why is the GCF’s global framework so important?

Today, there are plenty of negative discussions around data privacy, data control, the threat of digital technologies and the abuse of personal information for bad intents. These conversations continue to cause fear within the uninformed data owner — fear of being exploited and becoming irrelevant in the future digital space. It is of paramount importance that a global entity leads discussions and offers guidance to the everyday citizen so they can find their own path in a transformative, hyper-connected world that teems with unimaginable opportunities. An enlightened, autonomous society will stimulate our future, digital world in unprecedented ways — for good.

What are the GCF’s future plans?

We are going to influence and build progressive solutions that are designed around guiding principles for self-sovereignty and that means taking ethical and regulatory standards into consideration. Therefore we are establishing a technology-based entity that will create a platform for the average data owner to gain back control, learn about the power of digital platforms, experience the power of inclusive technologies and provide ways to participate in the data economy.

We engage with very progressive people and organizations amongst all levels that are helping us to shape and execute the Global Framework and the idea of the Global Citizen Foundation.

Where can the GCF be found?

We already have an international presence. Our headquarter is in Lichtenstein but we also have a presence in Zurich, Berlin and Cape Town. We are now expanding our presence and efforts into Asia which we aim to have solidified by 2020’s Q3.

If you are interested to learn more or want to engage or work with us just reach out to hello@globalcitizenfoundation.org.

The Launch of the Global Citizen Foundation was originally published in Global Citizen Foundation on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.