How To Guard Your Internet Confidentiality


internet security

The might of Internet cannot be overemphasized. It is thanks to this powerful tool that we can cross the Atlantic in a second to see our distant friend or to gather the latest news from all over the world without leaving the cozy sofa. All of us appreciate this realm for unlimited opportunities we get daily. Unfortunately, we seldom think of the fact that these opportunities are spread evenly among all the representatives of the humanity. The scams are included. Your careless attitude to your virtual life, be it activeness in top social media, blogging, hosting, or just careless usage of a personal account, can unexpectedly lead to undesirable consequences! Meanwhile, there are multiple simple methods to protect oneself against them, let’s have a look at the most widespread carefree attitudes to privacy and security issues.

Attention, you’ve just shared personal data with a malicious website!

 Me? You’ve got a wrong number! So, you may think there is nothing dangerous about it, or you may even be sure for 100% you don’t do it. Well, the truth is that in the majority of cases users generously share their identifiable information (real name, e-mail, contact data) with EVERY online resource including business and social media. It happens automatically! “Proper” arrangements in the “Settings” or “Preferences” folder in your browser enable it while you remain sure for 100% that everything is “ok”. Are you still certain?

How can I protect myself?

  • Check your browser settings not to reveal your private details to every online resource you visit as a default!
  • Apart from this, you can verify operation of specific system programs dealing with automatic switching of some functions when using the Internet, like Configuration Manager installed by MacOS or Internet Control Panel working for Windows. There exist several options for every operation system. These programs are of great use if you need to provide a flawless simultaneous operation of several browsers, for instance, but do not include in any of them your identifiable data. Anyway, Internet offers multiple options for those willing to improve their level of protection.
  • If you need to leave some information about yourself on some site, prefer a pseudonym to your real name, personal account to any other contact data.

Create at least two accounts to play safe on the Web

Why should I? I have no time to check several boxes! The point is that to guard yourself against undesirable usage of your e-mail by the third parties you need to have at least two personal accounts: a “clean email” and a “dirty” one. We cannot verify the credibility of every resource we need to use for private or business issues. Most of them will require your contacts. When you participate in discussions in chats, blogs, post to some new groups, in most cases they ask your email. Using the only one (the primary) email of yours for business and social media activities, you disclose it to the wide public and endanger yourself to the spammer’s attacks. Be aware! Even if you chose to address to a reliable essay writing service whose terms are clear and who take care of your security, but activate some third-party link on their site, you are in danger. There is no need in using your primary account if you ask do my essay CustomWriting.com for assistance! Let it be your account devoted to active Net usage! In case of attack to your “dirty address” which is a “clean one,” you will regret throwing it away, but there is no way to cure it. Thus, you will need to create a new one and to inform your boss, friends, relatives, and all of your trusted contacts about your new email which is a tiresome affair.

How can I protect myself?

  • Look through the privacy policy of your Internet provider. For your “clean email”, choose the reliable or the one permitting to use multiple addresses for you not to switch from one program to other visiting different accounts. Free providers of the “Yahoo” class are only advisable for “the dirty personal accounts”. They function on the advertising base and have low privacy
  • Create a “dirty email” with no indication of your real name or date of birth to protect yourself and feel no regrets to say it “goodbye” in case of need.

Threat: cookies invasion!

 Oh, don’t press the panic button, I’m not afraid of putting on weight)))! Take cookies seriously: switch on notifications about their usage in your browser or install specific programs controlling cookies. Online providers send you these files which are further installed on the hard disc of your PC with different purposes. Those sites you deal with regularly use them to simplify your operation. Thanks to this, you will not have to insert your user password each time you turn a new page. The same site though can send cookies to get information for marketing purposes. Your privacy is your challenge. They would like to know your preferences within the website: which pages you visit more often, how long you stay there, your favorite links and advertisements. Mainly, reading cookies is only available to the resource producing them. BUT, due to the appearance of “magic tools” named “cookie sharing rings” controlling online advertisements, sharing cookies data has become possible. They make it possible that every visited site, page, every activated advertisement of yours is recorded and shared among multiple partner sites. Their number can exceed thousand! Are you sure you are not included in the list of preys of some scam doing his dirty business on the Web?

How can I protect myself?

  • Browsers create options for clients who value their privacy: having arranged the settings, you will get notification of the site’s attempts to send you cookie supplying you with data allowing to judge if the acceptance is needed. You can also block third-party’s cookies. Some browsers fix your privacy and security issues allowing you to make a decision whether you would like to permit or ban the cookies for every site separately, enable them for some time, or to choose which cookies from the same site you would like to accept and which to ban.
  • Alternative solutions presuppose installation of some specific soft protecting user from undesirable cookies. You can find a broad range of programs for your operation system and needs. For Windows apply AdSubtract, CookiePal; some tools are universal – Muffin, Seclude-It.
  • Applications deleting such files is another option. Such tools guard personal data from long-term access, but the site will send you cookies between the two procedures of deletion.
  • “Informediary” is one more opportunity to take control over cookies chaos (Orangatango, SafeWeb, Zero Knowledge Systems’ Freedom, SeigeSoft’s are the most popular). They mask your personal data when you visit online resources, like top social media.
  • To turn off cookies once and forever is a bad idea. Thus, you will switch off all the interactive features! Just choose a browser offering reliable cookie control and arrange the settings appropriately or install some soft to protect your personal accounts and PC, and be conscious about accepting cookies from the trusted sites only and only when it is required for proper operation.

Have you recognized yourself in any of the neglectful portraits? If your answer is positive, you badly need to take actions! Now that you know what you need to do and how you can easily protect yourself, fix at least these privacy and security issues. As for me, I will check and arrange mine… Stay conscious and secured when using the Web!