I’m going to paint a scenario picture: You’ve just finished reading my post about VPNs and what they are, you agree that NordVPN is the best and you’ve signed up. I’ve got you thinking and now you’re hooked. But you’re not sure what to do next or what other things you can do to secure your online activity further. No worries you are in the right place. First thing, if you haven’t already read my Password Managers, What and Why? Post, go check that out; it will cover everything you need to know about password managers.
The reason behind this post is to provide some steps you can take to protect your online privacy:
- Use a robust and unique password for each of your accounts. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts whenever it is available. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter a code sent to your phone or email when logging in from a new device.
- Be careful about the information you share online. Think twice before posting personal information such as your home address, phone number, or date of birth on the internet.
- Use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your internet connection and protect your online activity from being tracked.
- Use privacy-focused search engines like DuckDuckGo, which do not track your search history.
- Use a firewall to prevent unauthorized access to your device.
- Keep your operating system and antivirus software up to date to protect against the latest threats.
Now for my intro scenario, here are ‘in addition to using a VPN’, there are several other things you can do to further protect your online privacy:
- Use a password manager to store your passwords in a secure, encrypted way. This way you can use strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts without having to remember them all.
- Be cautious when clicking on links in emails or online. Scammers often use links to steal personal information or install malware on your device.
- Adjust your privacy settings on social media platforms to control who can see your posts and personal information.
- Use privacy-focused browsers like Mozilla Firefox or Brave, which have built-in security and privacy features.
- Consider using a privacy-focused email service like ProtonMail or Tutanota, which offer end-to-end encryption and do not track your activity.
Hopefully, this proves useful for you. I wanted to write it in bullet format to make it easier to follow vs reading a paragraph format. By following these steps, you can help ensure that your online activity is private and your personal information is secure.