How to protect your privacy online

High-profiled celebrities including, Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna and model Kate Upton, have fallen victim to a hacking scandal that has ripped through social media, revealing a bit more than Nicki Minaj’s wardrobe malfunction during the 2014 VMAs. A rapid investigation into the  mass-hacking has taken place to track down the culprit or culprits of the cyber attack (The Age, 2014). In this day and age, where our lives seem to revolve and be exposed to an online world, it seems almost inevitable that these infringements on our privacy will occur. At home, we can lock our doors, put things in a safe and install a security alarm. But how can we protect ourselves online?

Here are some tips to protect your online privacy:

1. Come again some other day, iCloud– Do not store valuable information or photos on iCloud. The convenience of iCloud seems harmless, however, one should note the dangers that come with the service. If your username or password ever falls into the wrong hands, all of your information and precious cargo may be revealed to the world.
2. Use a Virtual Private Network- Be weary of connecting too readily onto public WiFi networks. Through using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), your online connection will be sent to secure servers of the sites you are utilizing. Therefore, your true IP address will not be revealed as well as the fact that no one will be able to spy on your network usage.
3. Ever-changing passwords– This one may sound obvious, but do not use the same password for every account you posses. If that one password leaks, your online activity will be easily exposed.
4. Open up that cookie jar- Cookies are mainly used for benign purposes on sites, such as storing your password so you do not have to retype your password each time. However, turning on that cookie notification is extremely important to protect your online privacy. Some services may use cookies on sites to collect privileged data from you.
5. Nothing to be afraid of– Perhaps, the simplest method of all, do not take controversial photos. In regards to this sector of your online privacy, you will have nothing to fear, if you do not have anything to reveal in the first place. Just a small thought.

Everyone is vulnerable to an attack on one’s privacy via their online networks. Privacy is not a right, it is a privilege. So do whatever you can to attain it and protect your online privacy.