Living in the world of advanced technology has its advantages and disadvantages. People now have the chance to easily communicate with people around the globe. An even better thing is that they can do that for free. Despite that, entrepreneurs have more chances to reach their target audience. They can start a blog, run an ad campaign on social media, etc. Finally, people have the chance to find each piece of information they want. This allows them to improve their skills and knowledge and achieve some career improvements.
Yet, keeping your privacy is tough in today’s world. We will talk about the most common online privacy issues in this article. However, there is one thing that we need to say before that. We are exposing too much personal information by ourselves. In most cases, we do that on our social media profile. This is something you should stop doing if you plan to remain safe.
Well, certain online privacy issues are something you can’t control. More precisely, some Internet users are not even aware of them. Because of that, let’s talk more about them.
Table of Contents
Most Common Privacy Issues
This list would be a lot longer if we start talking about all of them. Yet, there are three of them that are most common in today’s world.
1. Information Mishandling
Our goal is not to be negative here; we only want to inform people about certain privacy issues. Different websites on the net will require users to provide personal data. In that way, they get permission to access different kinds of services. Unfortunately, these pieces of info are sometimes not encrypted and everyone can access them. Unfortunately, this is the moment when information mishandling becomes a problem.
Many e-business and e-banking portals are exposing their users to risk. For instance, when you want to purchase something, you need to share your bank details. If the website is not secured properly, you can become a victim of cybercriminals.
2. “Spying”
People are not even aware that every move they make online is tracked. This includes everything from search history to different online activities. In this way, businesses get a clear picture of who you are, which interests you have, etc.
A good example of that is social media ads. Let’s imagine that you recently tried to find new snickers to buy. Be sure that in the next 2 days, there will be many sponsored posts associated with this product.
Different ways of protection made this process safer. Yet, that information might be used by cybercriminals once again.
3. Location Tracking
This is something that we mentioned above. We many times expose the location where we are on social media. Understandably, sharing different types of posts on Instagram or Facebook is entertaining. Yet, you need to know that this data remains stored on social media forever. You probably feel scammed now. However, no one tricked you; you allowed that when accepting the terms and services agreements.
There are also certain apps like Google Maps that will ask you to turn on your location. Okay, it doesn’t necessarily mean that something bad will happen. However, it is risky to show to the world where you are in every single moment.
Ways to Avoid Online Privacy Issues
Online safety was the biggest concern of users from the very beginning. Because of that, different developers wanted to meet the requirements and expectations of people. There are certain ways how you can protect yourself from any type of online privacy threat. Let’s find them out together.
1. Use a VPN
VPN is a tool that protects you from any type of spying or snooping. Each information that you transferred with the host site is encoded. Despite that, you are also getting an anonymous IP that protects your identity, geographical location, etc. Some of them you can use for free, while others require certain spendings.
2. Use Ad Blockers and Anti-Viruses
How many times have you heard that a system went down because of a virus? People usually do not even know how the virus ends up in their computer. Reinstalling your system is not a big deal. However, we often store important data on our computers. Because of that, we need to ensure protection at every moment.
First of all, you should always download files from a reliable source. However, hackers use different methods to convince people that the current site is safe. The safest option of all is to install a strong anti-virus program that protects your device from spyware, Trojans, etc. In this way, you will get a real-time notification when something is wrong.
Still, there is another thing that people do not know. How many times you had to close a couple of ads before downloading something. Well, these ads are not protected by the website where you download a file. Because of that, an ad blocker would be a safe choice.
3. Customize Social Media Settings
For this step, do not have to use any additional programs. Each social media user has the right to customize settings of his account. For example, Instagram allows you to make your account private. This means that only people that follow you will have the option to see your posts. Facebook also gives you some opportunities. You can hide all the posts from people that are not your Facebook friends. Despite that, you can choose not to allow people to add you there. It is recommendable to use both options and ensure the safe usage of these networks.
Bonus Tip: Ask for Help
As we said, this article covered only the most common online privacy issues and provided you with solutions. Yet, the list would be much longer if we analyzed all of them. After reading this article, you might want to visit restoreprivacy.com. On this website, you can find out more about VPN, password managers, and other privacy tools. It is important to know which security tools exist and to pick the best ones.
Most people have the wrong way of thinking. They like to repeat phrases such as “This won’t happen to me” or “Why would someone hack me”. Every person on this planet has equal chances to become a victim. Because of that, it is much better to get prepared for potential issues.
