7 ways to protect your data
Internet privacy is a hot-button issue. Every link you click, every website you visit, every word you search or any place you go has the potential to be tracked.
As someone who has been working in for 7 years, I’ve seen significant changes in the amount of data available to marketers, along with how this data can be used to target and influence users.
Today, there are thousands of companies that track individuals’ online activity and capture their personal information. People are giving their information away and sometimes without knowing it.
In this article, you will find some tips to protect and to have more control over your data.
1- Be conscious about your privacy settings
Most mobile apps offer privacy settings for users. This gives you the freedom to know how much and what kind of information is shared. Always choose the least amount of data sharing.
You can check your privacy settings by entering your Settings app on your mobile.
2- Beware of public Wi-Fi
Most home Wi-Fi connections are encrypted. Some public Wi-Fi connections are not. This means you’re at risk of people monitoring your online activity.
Ensure you’ve turned on your firewall, and have up-to-date malware protection.
3- Close down any online service that you no longer use
There are many social networks that come and go. If you have signed up for any of these, they may have a wealth of your personal information that you willingly gave. But eventually when these services disappear, they take with them your information that can be sold as an asset.
4- Use a Virtual Private Network
Browsing in “incognito” or private mode does not prevent your internet provider from knowing which sites you visit. Private mode only prevents the browser you are using from storing your internet history.
So what can you do? Using a tool called a virtual private network (VPN) will protect your online activity from anyone who might want to look at it, including internet providers.
5- Use Privacy Plugins
You are probably using an ad blocker to prevent you from annoying ads. To supplement an ad blocker, there’s a couple of other plugins that I highly recommend to help prevent unwanted tracking online. You can use Privacy Badger or Decentraleyes.
6- Delete Third-Party Cookies
You should block or delete all third-party cookies to put an end to some of this tracking. This can be done by delving into your browser’s settings, or by using cleanup tools like CCleaner which deletes all cookies by default.
7- Monetize your data with Wibson App
Last, but not least, you need a tool not only to control your data but also to monetize it. At Wibson we believe that data belongs to people so we empower individuals to make a profit from it.
Wibson app is available in Argentina, Spain, Uruguay and the UK and allows you to choose what data to share and with whom.
As you can see, it’s extremely important to be conscious of what information you’re giving away and limit or stop it wherever possible. If you have any questions or if you know any other ways to protect our data, feel free to use the comments section below!
