How can you browse the web safely?

It's evident that cybercrime is rising daily and data breaches are skyrocketing. What’s worse is that even tech giants like Twitter have been victims of these privacy breaches

In fact, Twitter admitted in a statement that almost 5.4 million accounts had been hacked. The cybercriminals took advantage of a vulnerability that allowed them to link email addresses and phone numbers to user accounts

Obviously, Times have changed and we are living in remarkable times. And things that only seemed futuristic like making purchases of almost anything with a press of a button on our smartphones, have become a reality

Moreover, with social media and blogging platforms, we can now reach millions of people. But there is a price to it, your privacy

This is why in this article, I will guide you step by step on how to stay safe online in 2022. Let's begin

Step 1: Use a VPN Service

VPNs ensure that your online traffic is encrypted

What this does is, it protects your online activities against prying eyes like your government and internet service providers

A virtual point network also allows you access to geo-restricted sites and contents

But that's not all, now, suppose anyone tries to track your digital footprint online, they won’t proceed any further. A VPN masks your IP address with another IP address from the VPN server

Contrary to a VPN issued dedicated IP address, a shared VPN address is used by many people at the same time, which comes with several advantages. It protects your exact location and actual IP address

Of course, you are not completely invisible, at least not to your VPN provider..
Finally, you should avoid those based in one of these 14-eyes countries that have data retention laws and can avail your information to government agencies

Step 2: Hide Your Browsing History

Your government and your internet service provider are spying on you

Obviously, anytime you surf the web, your government and internet service providers are snooping around for your information, not to mention hackers

Also, here comes the marketers, trying to track your digital footprints so that they can target you for individualized ads and offers


What are your options?

First, select a browser from a privacy perspective

Browsers like:

- Tor Browser - has incorporated advanced proxies, encryption, and pre-installed privacy add-ons to keep you safer online

- Firefox - with a few tweaking of the default settings and installation of some privacy add-ons, you should be good

- Brave - automatically blocks ads and trackers. This clears all your digital footprints

Be sure to check them out

Step 3: Use Complex Passwords
You definitely need a complex, unique code

Without any doubt, using complex passwords is one of the most crucial online privacy security tips for keeping your information safe while on the internet

And if you feel it's not important, think twice, according to Verizon, 81% of data breaches are due to poor password security. Not to mention, if a hacker gets his hands on this information they can also access your other accounts

To create strong passwords, you should incorporate

- Upper and lowercase letters

- Numbers

- Symbols

In a nutshell, make sure that once you shut off your device or enable your screen saver, the device should require a password as soon as possible

In addition to this, use password managers like 1Password to create and store complex passwords

Step 4: Encrypt Your Device

Why should I encrypt my device?

First off, encryption ensures that your data is protected online

Secondly, it scrambles your online traffic into what looks like gibberish. This information becomes an unidentifiable mess to anyone without the code to decrypt it back to its real content
Since hackers can even sidestep strong passwords, you should encrypt your device. Depending on its level of encryption, a hacker will take a long time to break into that device

On the other hand, hackers might find it impossible to break into your device

However, just like it comes with pros, encryption's most deteriorating con is that if you lose your encryption key, it will be difficult to access your data again

In addition, your device speed may be affected

Step 5: Remove Personal Data Online

Your best bet for privacy is to remove your personal data from your profile

We obviously share too much information on social media, which may lead to identity theft. Additionally, today, almost all apps collect your data

What's worse is that they rarely leave your information as scrupulously as you would like. In fact, according to a report by Nytimes, zoom connected its users' accounts to LinkedIn profiles. This revealed the names and professions of the users

To stop oversharing online you should

- Protect your WiFi password

- Create temporary email addresses for subscriptions

- Limit your collaborative folders or playlists

Minimize who can see what you share about your daily routine and life on social media and any other online platforms

Conclusion

How do you stay safe on the internet today?

With the concerns that arise with data breaches today, you should make sure that you know exactly how to stay safe on the internet today

Privacy is an important aspect to consider for each of the online services we use daily, including email, file sharing, and other services we use. And in this article, how to stay safe online in 2022: 10 internet security tips, you will find different steps that will help with your anonymity online

Did I leave out some points? Please share in the comments

Always stay safe