Personal privacy is something that matters to all of us, but only in recent times has the concept of Internet privacy entered the public consciousness as a matter of real concern. In the age of behavior tracking, there are more parties than ever before trying to get their hands on your data for a host of different purposes, many of which may actually degrade the quality of your online experience.

This is the harsh reality for today’s internet users, and it is up to you as an individual to protect yourself. With security risks on all sides, there’s every reason that internet privacy should become a priority for you in 2023.

Privacy & Security Concerns

There are a wide variety of privacy risks that you ought to be aware of when you’re online. Some major points of concern are: 

• Identify theft: Millions of people around the world fall victim to identity theft each year. Using phishing and malware, third parties can gain access to your accounts and use your personal details to perpetrate criminal activities. 
• Intrusive surveillance: Governments are monitoring internet traffic more nowadays than ever before, but they aren’t the only ones. Telecommunications companies and internet service providers also feel increasingly vindicated in keeping tabs on what users do online. In some cases, you may be blocked from visiting sites based on factors like your location. Needless to say, this can become very stifling.
• Incessant advertising: This is of the more insidious aspects of today’s digital world. Websites of all kinds now use behavioral tracking to keep up with what users are doing so that they can generate targeted advertising. This can feel quite invasive for consumers, and a recent survey shows that 41% of consumers don’t want advertisers using tracking cookies.

The above issues are likely to become more prevalent throughout 2023, meaning that the associated risk factors will increase. As such, internet privacy will become more important than ever moving forward.

Limiting Risk

It’s one thing to understand the potential consequences of a privacy breach, but it’s another thing entirely to know what that means in practice. In fact, you may be putting yourself at risk without even knowing it. Here are some common mistakes that it’s best to avoid:

• Opening questionable messages: Often, cybercrimes like identity fraud are committed on the back of a user opening a seemingly innocuous email or clicking on what appears to be a harmless attachment. Avoid opening messages from unknown senders, as they may pose a risk to your privacy and security.
• Having a single password: One of the most common mistakes people make is to assign the same login credentials for all of their accounts. Sure, it’s simpler for you to remember, but it poses a major risk to you by essentially providing a master key to any third party who might intercept your data.
• Staying logged in: Once again, convenience is the source of the issue. Many people use the “stay logged in” option when websites present it to them, but this poses a privacy risk. These sites use cookies to keep login credentials in browsers, and this information could be accessed through malicious software or other means.
• Using public networks unprotected: Using unsecured public networks without protection leaves users open to having their data intercepted, so this should be avoided at all costs.
• Ignoring Ts & Cs: Many websites bury their tracking policies in the terms and conditions, and unsuspecting users permit them to sell their data because they don’t read them carefully. To Avoid clicking ‘agree’ on terms and conditions you haven’t read.

How to Protect Yourself

While there are an increasing number of threats to your internet privacy, there are measures you can take to protect it. The following are some ways that you can safeguard your privacy and security online:

• Browse anonymously with a VPN: If you want to protect yourself online, a virtual private network is generally your best bet. A VPN will provide you with anonymity while you browse, concealing your IP address and encrypting your traffic to keep your personal information and activities safe from prying eyes. You can easily install a VPN chrome extension with a couple of clicks. Some even include useful anti-malware functionality for extra protection.

• Set up security software: To protect yourself from malware, you should take the time to install comprehensive firewalls and anti-malware software on all of your devices. This will help prevent malicious third parties from violating your privacy.

• Change your online settings: Many large websites, including some leading social media sites, have tracking and personalization turned on by default, but this can be disabled in many cases. Switching these features off can stop such sites from keeping track of your actions, and will help to prevent intrusive targeted advertising.

Concluding

The landscape of the digital world is one full of privacy risks, and this situation is only likely to intensify in 2023. However, there are protective measures you can take. By utilizing a virtual private network, installing security software, and doing your due diligence when it comes to settings, terms, and conditions, you can ensure that you retain your privacy online.

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