Tips for Protecting Your Digital Privacy
We’ve probably all heard a cyber horror story about someone having their identity stolen and accounts drained by an anonymous hacker.
Sure, you were sympathetic, but it probably didn’t make you start researching ways to protect yourself. After all, what are the odds it could happen to you? Well, it might be more likely than you think. Digital identity theft was one of the top 3 most common forms of cybercrime in 2021.
Most of us just don’t worry about it much until it’s our account, our computer, and our problem. But when your data privacy is compromised, it’s a problem that can go from nonexistent to life-altering in seconds.
It’s never too late to realign the privacy we want and the privacy we actually have.
The National Cybersecurity Alliance calls this “owning our privacy,” or taking responsibility for understanding how we’re sharing and protecting our data.
When was the last time you read a privacy statement before aggressively clicking “I Agree?” It feels like an annoying pop-up and many of them aren’t exactly designed to be easily read and understood. The truth is we don’t always know what personal data we’re exposing and who is receiving it.
It’s not just us as individuals that need to face facts. Businesses also need to examine how responsible they are with the personally identifiable information (PII) of their customers. No one wants to end up on the news for a data breach, after all.
What’s the Worst That Can Happen?
The way your data can be used varies on a spectrum from actually quite helpful to outright malicious.
Helpful: Your browsing data helps a website give you personalized content recommendations.
Grey area: Your demographic and activity data is used to show you targeted ads on social media sites.
Annoying: You shared your email address with a company that resold it to a third party, and now you receive spam emails from them.
Malicious: You know the worst-case scenarios. They’re pretty scary. For example, health data is used to commit fraud (to the tune of $68 billion, according to the U.S.-based National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association).
What Can You Do?
Set an annual or biannual reminder to check and improve your digital privacy protection in a few simple steps.
Check & Adjust Your Privacy Settings
Nearly every digital move we make is recorded online.
Every device, application, or browser you use plants a bread crumb trail of your activity. Usernames and passwords are cached and auto-filled for quick access, search histories are neatly backlogged for months on end, and social media broadcasts sensitive information to anyone with access to the internet.
Check your privacy permissions on your personal and work accounts, computers, phones, and tablets. What are they sharing? What are they hiding?
From basic operating system rules to your web browser accessibility and storage, investigate how much data you’re automatically sharing with anyone that wants to look.
To help you get started, check out the Manage Your Privacy Settings page on the National Cybersecurity Alliance’s website.
Don’t Forget Your Apps
Each of the applications on your devices has its own privacy settings, and you grant them all individual access to your information. From fitness and GPS apps on your smartphone that access your geographic location to the social networks with access to your entire photo library, think of what all those applications can see and track.
Start by deleting any applications you aren’t using. If you haven’t played that mobile game in months, do you really need it to have access to your location? For any applications you do keep, review the permissions in each app’s settings or within your device’s accessibility permissions.
Understand that Personal Data has High Value
A lot of information is openly accessible today. We all know how to Google search, right? Just remember that what may seem like surface information (names and phone numbers for example) is actually really valuable to businesses and criminals alike.
Anytime you’re asked (personally or professionally) to share your information, ask yourself, “Is this data publicly accessible?” “Does this person really need to know?” and finally, “If this information wound up in the wrong hands, what’s the worst that could happen?”
Spread Data Privacy Awareness
Once you’ve started paying more attention to your digital privacy, share what you’ve learned with your fellow employees or loved ones. This is especially important if you share access to applications or devices.
Our privacy focus should be all about spreading awareness and practical information. When we’re working together, we’re all a little safer. So pass along these data privacy tips to the people in your life that might need them!
