Love yourself online
RAYMUND E. Liboro, commissioner of the National Privacy Commission (NPC), a government agency that serves as the country’s privacy watchdog; an independent body mandated to administer and implement the Data Privacy Act of 2012, and to monitor and ensure compliance of the country with international standards set for data protection introduced to the delegates of the National ICT Summit the 30 tips to love yourself online. This Corner is publishing the first 10. Here are the tips:
TIP #1: Create strong passwords. Strong passwords are at least 12 characters long and contain a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and if possible, symbols. That way, your accounts will be more secur ed.
TIP # 2: Never use the same password on multiple accounts. Having different passwords on multiple accounts make it harder for hackers to guess them.
TIP #3: Lock your device. If your laptops and cellphones have no proper security, you are voluntarily giving your data to the preying vultures who will steal your information.
TIP #4: Always log out of browsers. Google Chrome has a unified log in system, which logs you into the browser even if you only log in through the e-mail, so don’t forget to log out.
TIP #5: Make sure there is an https in the browser address bar. The meaning of HTTP is “Hypertext Transfer Protocol while S after HTTP means “Secure”. It means that the data you are sending between your browser and the site that you are accessing encrypted.
TIP #6: Do not log in on personal accounts on free or public wifi. Open networks make it very easy for people to peek into your activity and accounts, and the people you share the network with may also be using compromised devices.
TIP#7:InstallanAnti-Virusand update it. New viruses are being created all the time, so simply installing an anti-virus program does not cut it. It is important to update the programs to keep up with new and emerging threats.
TIP #8: Do not click on popups or virus warnings. These warnings are now called “scareware,” and these are fake security alerts that tell you to click a link to download software to remove the virus in your computer. The links, however, contain viruses. So beware!
TIP #9: Install an ad blocker to lessen browser pop-ups. There are a lot of available extensions like AdBlock Plus, from Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. It is good to install it to prevent popups from appearing and notify you if these seem malicious while you browse.
TIP #10: Have you been Powned? You can visit: https:/ / haveibeenpwned.com/ PwnedWebsites to know if you’ve availed of compromised services online. If, by any chance, you have, change your passwords imm ed i at el y.