How to Ensure Privacy Online - From Hiding IP to Restricting App Permissions?

Despite the increasing role of technology in our everyday life, we treat it with less and less caution, especially regarding privacy and protecting our personal data. Some internet users have normalized being careless with what information they share online and who has access to it, not thinking much about possible consequences. The other part of internet users doesn’t know about all the concerning ways organizations and even scammers can easily mine and use our data against us. In this article, we will go over the foundational safety practices that will make your online presence safer in the future.

Get a VPN to Conceal Your IP Address

You would think everyone uses VPN at this point, but many people still go online without any protection, exposing their IP address and other personal details. When you go online without being connected to the VPN, you give your Internet Service Provider access to your search history and digital footprint, which they’re more than happy to sell for the right price. VPN reroutes your connection through a secure tunnel, making it impossible to tie your online activity back to you, safeguarding you from having your personal details and digital habits out there for others to exploit.

Get Your App Permissions Under Control

Since there are so many wonderful apps that make our day-to-day life so much easier, we rarely stop to think about all the information we are willingly handing over. App-makers often exploit that, making it only possible for us to use their apps by handing over permissions that give access to some of the most sensitive data on our phones.

It is common to see apps that track a lot of data that is optional for the app to do its job. Pay attention to your permissions and turn off any unnecessary ones. Whether you are an iOS or Android user, only download apps from legitimate sources. Apps downloaded from unofficial

sources are much more likely to abuse their permissions and, on top of that, may contain malware that will compromise your device.

Switch to Browsers That Prioritize Privacy

Similar to the app permissions, your browser likely has a few permissions you would want to change if you looked into it. Sadly, the more popular browsers aren’t the most privacy-concerned.

We recommend switching to Mozilla Firefox or Brave if you are serious about getting your digital privacy under control. These browsers are much more open and deliberate about their privacy policies and deliver the same, if not better, experience to users browsing the web. While we acknowledge that changing your default browser is a big move, it’s the one that will improve your cybersecurity score by a lot.

Consider Remote Access Tools

These days most of us are shuffling between two to three main devices, and often they are spread between home and the office. Keeping everything together on one device gets challenging, which is why we normally resort to unsafe practices like sharing sensitive information using social media channels or personal emails.

A great way to avoid compromising your files in transit is to get a remote access tool. While there are many different options on the market, try and stick with ones that offer proper configuration and don’t compromise your security in other aspects.

With a remote access tool, you can securely read documents across all your devices. This is especially important for those working with sensitive data. It can also be helpful if you have different software across your devices and want to use it on one outside your reach. That’s just some of the use cases for remote access tools, but it will be a great addition to your digital security system.

Cybersecurity is a loose term, mainly because it encapsulates so much. It’s impossible to pinpoint the only tool or a system that would keep users safe from all sorts of risks that come with being online. The best practice for those concerned with their privacy online is to use a conjunction of cybersecurity tools to simultaneously ensure protection from various threats.