With so much of our information on the internet today (most of it out there without us realising it) it is very important to stay safe. In fact, staying private and secure online is just as important as it is in real life.
Within this article, we will cover some of the best online privacy protection services out there, including their benefits and drawbacks.
What Are The Biggest Threats To Your Online Privacy?
With a cyber attack occurring every 39 seconds on average, it goes to show just how many threats there are when it comes to your online privacy. Some of these include:
Data Breaches
A data breach is a security violation where sensitive, confidential and personal data is hacked. This information can then be used in a number of ways including being viewed, copied and accessed by hackers. Data breaches happen because people know that information is valuable and they can view, or sell it to make money.
Third-Party Adversitiement Trackers
Probably without you even realising it, many apps on your phone use third-party ad trackers to monitor you. This includes everything from recording all your online actions, to monitoring the things you search for and the websites you visit, to remembering every item you have bought online.
Public Wi-Fi
Unfortunately one of the easiest threats that can invade your pirate information is unsecured public wifis. Although many people find them useful, especially when the amount of data on their plan is running low, the truth is they are very unsafe. This is because when a hacker decides to breach your online privacy, they access it through the Wifi itself so instead of talking directly with the hotspot, you’re sending your information to the hacker, who then relays it on.
How To Protect Your Online Privacy
The information above may seem scary, but the good news is that there are ways in which you can effectively manage your online privacy.
However, when it comes to your digital security and privacy, there really is no single way to manage all the threats. It takes a comprehensive approach that utilises a variety of privacy tools to protect your data privacy from cyber criminals.
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
A virtual private network (otherwise known as VPN) is essentially a way of having online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. They can be used to guard against hackers on public networks, however, they are also useful if you want to hide your IP address, browsing activity, or personal data on any public or home Wi-Fi network.
Some of the best VPN services include:
NordVPN: NordVPN is a very well-known and popular personal virtual private network (VPN) service provider. It has desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux, mobile apps for Android and iOS, and can even be used on Android TVs.
Private Internet Access (PIA): This company offers multi-layered security as well as privacy protection with VPN tunnelling. Like many other VPNs, PIA works at the TCP/IP level which means all your internet connections are secured, not just your web browser.
File Encryption
The best way to keep all sensitive and important files secure is through encryption. File encryption means that every file on your device is encrypted, and the encryption keys are protected by your password. If an attacker doesn’t have access to this password, then they can’t read any useful data off of the stolen device.
Some of the best data encryption services include:
VeraCrypt: This is a free open-source disk encryption software that is compatible with Windows, Mac OSX and Linux. It creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk, and also provides plausible deniability, in case someone forces you to reveal your password.
Cryptomator: This is also a free encryption software that is compatible with all major operating systems including Windows and macOS. When installed on your device, it uses transparent encryption which means you won’t notice a difference when working with your encrypted files. Cryptomator lets you create vaults anywhere, even within your existing cloud drive, Dropbox or Google Drive.
Password Managers
A password manager is a computer program that allows you to store, generate, and manage all your passwords for the applications and services you use on your device. The main benefit of using a password manager is to boost your cyber security by allowing you to use a strong and unique password for each site or app you have an account on.
Some of the best password manager services include:
Bitwarden: this is a free and open-source password management solution that can be utilised by all whether you are an individual, working in a team, or running a business organisation. It works as both password storage and generator tool. It also supports syncing between all of your devices, making it easy and convenient to use.
Blur: This is another management tool that protects all your passwords, payment information, as well as some other private information. The great thing about it is that it goes beyond just storing and generating your passwords as it can also make“burner credit cards”. These prevent your payment information from being hacked or stolen and keep your passwords in encrypted form until you visit a site or account you’ve visited before.
Ad Blockers
Adblocking is a service or software capability that is used for blocking or altering online advertising in a web browser, an application or a network. They allow web pages to load faster with a much cleaner look, and also exclude any tracking and profiling systems to better your privacy.
Some of the best ad blockers include:
uBlock Origin: This is one of the most common ad blockers on the web. It is famous for its efficiency and minimal resource use, so it won’t affect performance when you use your device. uBlock Origin is also free and open-source to make your web browsing much faster and more user-friendly.
Adblock Plus: This adblocker is supplied as a browser extension, and works on all platforms including Firefox, Chrome, Android, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. It blocks all malicious ads that could possibly track users, serve malware, and are just generally annoying.
