If you are concerned about the security of your personal data, perhaps you should limit your online presence. We are already used to posting photos online and telling friends on social networks where we go and what we listen to. At the same time, we do not always think about where this information gets to, who can use it and for what.
Therefore, in order to protect it, you should not always agree with the recommendations of websites and applications – in particular, mindlessly tag your friends in the photo. Or you can disable the location detection feature on some social networks. The less active you are online, the lower the risk of compromising your data. There are other ways to protect personal information from prying eyes
Enabling privacy settings on social networks: let only your friends see your Facebook posts, and not everyone in a row.
Limit the circle of those who can send you friend requests: for example, select “friends of my friends” instead of “anyone” in the privacy settings.
Disabling location detection, face recognition, as well as a block with personal interests and hobbies in social networks. Unfortunately, some sites show your location whether you want it or not. This is a minus: you should not tell potential robbers that you are not at home. You can simply turn off the GPS in your smartphone so that you cannot be tracked.
Refusal to receive mailings that are no longer relevant to you. You can create an additional email mailbox for making one-time purchases, sending insurance requests and other similar actions. Leave a personal email to communicate with friends and family.
Protection of IoT devices that track your habits. Put a strong password on your Internet of Things devices, connect them to a separate guest network so that they cannot access your accounts through them, and disconnect devices that you no longer use from the network.
Photo editing. Have you passed the driving test and want to show off your achievement to your friends by posting a photo of the exam results? Don’t forget to fill in your address, phone number and other personal data on the picture.
Disabling automatic functions in applications and on websites. Some people, for example, forbid Google to automatically enter their planned trips in the calendar.
Remember that social networks were conceived not as an advertising business, but as a means to make users’ lives more pleasant and diverse. Let you have to work hard, but your social media pages will serve you as intended – for entertainment purposes – and will cease to be tools for pumping out your personal data.