Steps to take to protect (some) of your privacy
These days the average geek can’t stroll through the Internet without having his personal data stolen, being followed or even having his bank account pillaged. Privacy is gone, destroyed by hackers, government and corporations.
There are some things you can do to fight back. Here are a few:
Use a secure browser. Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are suspect because both companies collect user information and Safari works best on the Mac. Of the major browsers, Firefox is probably the safest.
Incognito mode or privacy mode is available on most browsers. When using it, the browser does not retain the history of websites you have visited, a valuable record for selling targeted ads.
Use a safe search engine. DuckDuckGo positions itself as a search engine that puts privacy first and as such it does not store IP addresses, does not log user information, and uses cookies only when required. The company is based in Paoli, Pa. DuckDuckGo has a version for the secure Tor browser, but be forewarned it is a gateway to the dark web.
Here are some other suggestions, with some of the ideas coming fromKevin Mitnick’s book “The Art of Invisibility.”
Cover the camera on your desktop or laptop. It can be remotely activated and used to spy on you. I tape a piece of paper over mine. Remove it when only when you need the camera.
Social media sites, particularly Facebook, are some of the worst offenders in slurping up your personal information. When setting up an account, give a minimum of information for your profile. Many sites allow you to log in with your Facebook account. When you do, you are giving Facebook access to what you do on that site.
Do not allow a social media site to run in the background. When you are done using it, log out. Or do what I do, don’t use social media.
When you are logging in to a site, you often will be given a security question. Notice that many of the suggested questions ask for personal information, such as your mother’s maiden name. Your answers can be harvested and used in building a profile of you. If you have to answer a personal question, lie. But note the answer you gave for when you are asked.
Blank popup windows are often used for tracking. Instruct your browser not to allow popup windows.
Some sites can contain a 1-pixel image (almost invisible). When your computer renders that site, the “bug” reports back to the server the IP address of your computer, identifying you as having viewed that page. There is not much you can do about that except to visit only respectable sites.
The most valuable thing you can do is use common sense. Don’t visit shady websites. Harden your passwords and use a different password for each login.
These are just a few of the things you can do to to fight cyberinvasion, and some of them are inconvenient. Security and convenience are often a tradeoff.