Privacy is by far one of the things that most worries all Internet users today. Many ignore it, but the way we use our devices can reveal very important private information that can subsequently compromise our social life.
That is why every day there are more people who want to secure their devices in such a way that nothing leaves them without their permission, as well as more and more vulnerabilities that are detected and that play against of this goal .
In this article we are going to focus on your privacy and teach you habits and strategies that you should start applying to prevent anything and nobody from accessing your private information. So take note and see including this post among your bookmarks.
Index:
Why is it important to maintain our privacy on the Internet?
As we mentioned in the introduction; The way you use your devices can reveal much more information than you think. This is one of the main reasons why you should always be aware of data leaks from your computer or mobile .
Think well what would happen if someone found out about the websites for adults you visit and how regularly you do it, what sexually transmitted diseases (to mention only one type of pathology) you looked for in Google for fear of being infected by one, or simply the number of times you searched for a person on social networks.
All this data, is collected in something as simple as your browsing history, and it is much easier to access them than you think . But this is only the beginning; The reality is that both governments and big brands are very interested in your Internet search habits, so they have no problem paying a lot of money to know this data.
Currently, we use computers and mobile phones to do practically everything ; From watching content for leisure, to making purchases online, we often prefer to do a search on the Internet to know what disease or virus we can have in our body in order not to pay a medical consultation.
All these data, from the most harmless to the most personal are registered on the network, and anyone with enough money can access them. Most do not feel interested in your private life, they simply want to know your tastes to sell you products or offer services , which you may even agree with.
However, a person skilled enough with a computer can also decipher and access this information and use it to blackmail you, or at least plan a scam that you find irresistible and steal money for it. I think this is already enough reason for you to start worrying more about the protection of your online data. Don’t you think so?
Identifying the problems What are the most vulnerable tools to violations privacy?
Even though you think your computer is already secure enough, let us tell you that there is nothing further from reality than this. That’s why right now we’re going to mention the main vulnerabilities of your devices that can make anyone know more about you than you think.
The operating system
If, as you are reading, your operating system is one of the main enemies of your Internet security. There are OSs like Windows, which keep an extremely detailed record of your activities on their computers . Therefore, any privacy attempt you want to execute must begin with the choice of an OS good that does not precisely torpedo this objective.
At the outset we tell you that Windows is one of the least secure systems on the market, since they literally record each and every one of their movements on computers where it is installed . To begin, Microsoft provides all devices with their operating systems with a default advertising ID, which serves to give information to commercial companies about their main shopping preferences on the Internet.
As if that were not enough, tools like Cortana keep a complete record of each one of the things you do on the computer, and when we say everything, it’s everything; from the programs you use most to your credit card numbers and other important information .
The funniest thing of all is that you accept all this in the terms and conditions of the OS when you install it on your computer, so that you do not have the slightest option to claim anything from them (that’s why you should always read these wills) .
IP addresses
Have you ever stopped to think about how the Internet protocol works? We’re not going to get bored with technical issues, we already have an article talking about it, but if we want you to understand what it means to have an IP address Well, after reading this you will never have been so clear.
An IP address is a number of several octets that is used to identify your devices, but more importantly, to know from where you are connecting. This information is already registered internally in the network, and we will not deceive you, to know it you must be very skilled if you do not have the necessary permissions, but once you have it, the amount of information that you can get from it is truly overwhelming .
The IP address is the key to identify yourself on the Internet. No matter what you do, with this address the websites you visit can know from where you connect and other data. That’s why if by chance you enter a web of running shoes, even if you don’t buy anything , Google bombards you with ads of that theme in your native language.
To start, once you have the IP address of a computer, just enter a web portal and enter it to know the location from which it comes, or at least know where the main servers are of this . That is, with this address a person could easily know where you live or work without many problems.
The browser
The browser is one of the most important elements that you should consider when browsing. These tools are responsible for registering in your cache detailed information of each and every one of the portals you visit , and then send this information to a server where it will be stored.
It only takes a couple of days for a browser to interpret your search and navigation habits and literally create a fingerprint with them, and then provide that information to advertising companies that bombard you with ads of all kinds , since they intuit that these are your importantintereses clearly.
The good news is that this information is not unique and definitive, because generally our browsing habits change from time to time. That is, you may have a fever today and your searches are based on finding the causes of these symptoms , but tomorrow you may be perfectly well and find yourself looking for hotels to stay next month.
However, temporarily your activity will be registered and a temporary fingerprint will be created that can say a lot about you and your lifestyle. Leaving in evidence your privacy. Browsers like Chrome, Mozilla or Safari are experts in this .
Cookies
That’s why I hate cookies. Cookies are add-ons that are installed in your browser and stored in the same cache that basically serve to identify your search and web browsing preferences. Simply put, there is nothing more like an identifier than them. Also, think about it; if they were so good no portal would warn you of their use .
The problem with them is that using them intelligently, they could collect a huge amount of information about your online activities that obviously you won’t like anyone to know, so this makes them a real threat to your privacy .
The scripts
Scripts are one of those necessary evils that we cannot stop having on our devices. While it is very clear that they are a potential threat to user privacy, nobody can disable them completely since more than 80% of the websites use them and if you block them, you could no longer view most of the content within you are.
It is a sensitive issue, although fortunately alternative programming technologies are being implemented to dispense with the use of these, as they represent a risk to user privacy. However, until then we cannot do more than live with them .
Now that you know all the privacy risks and vulnerabilities to which you are exposed on the Internet, it is time to let you know which are the most effective solutions for each of these problems.
So take note, and start applying each of these tips:
Choose a secure OS
Knowing what you know about your operating system, the fastest solution in this regard will be to choose an OS that is already secure enough at the factory. If we talk about the big 3, MacOS and Linux are by far the safest in terms of privacy, so your fastest option is to install them on your computer.
In case you are an inveterate Windows lover, you can take the long road and configure this operating system to stop being a mole of your privacy . Among the main actions you should take are:
- Disable the advertising ID of the operating system.
- Disable completely Cortana.
- Set activity history .
If you want to learn how to perform this and other actions that will shield your security in W10 you can visit our privacy article in Windows 10 , where we explain in detail how to take control of your data within this OS.
Encrypt online communications
Surely you’ve heard about VPNs or virtual private networks, which are very useful tools to encrypt the digital communications of your devices. These will be your best friend to keep your IP address hidden, or at least camouflage, so that nobody knows your location.
There are many very good VPN providers such as:
- NordVPN.
- ViperVPN.
- ExpressVPN.
However, the work does not end here. Even a VPN server may have IP leaks that reveal your address on certain occasions. For this reason, you should take a WebRTC test to make sure none of this is happening. One tool you can use for this is privacytools.io , which is specially developed for this.
Choose a secure browser
The next step to take control of your data is to choose a good web browser that does not share your search history with third parties in exchange for money. At the outset you can forget about the big 3 like Google, Safari or Mozilla, even Opera and EDGE.
It is best that you start using any of the following :
- Tor Browser : browser with a complete communications encryption system, with it you will not need a VPN since your IP will never be revealed. In addition, this improves things thanks to the implementation of a very high level proxy.
- Brave Browser : a new browser that has received good reviews for its complex encryption system and for completely blocking ads and cookies.
Both options are the best decisions you can make so that nothing you do on the Internet is known by anyone other than you. If they don’t convince you, it would be best to use Firefox with a VPN and some security plug-ins to block third-party ads and scripts .
Block cookies completely
The next mission is to make you the habit of not accepting any kind of cookies. Although we already mentioned that they are usually harmless, the risk of being identified with them remains latent. So when you get the warning sign, you must always deny it .
Another less drastic measure you can take is to block them to a certain extent, allowing only those of the portal you are visiting to be activated and not that it includes third-party cookies that may represent a problem for your privacy in the future.
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You can easily do this in Chrome as follows :
- Open your browser and go to “Settings” , and then go to “Advanced”.
- Once there you should go to «Privacy and Security» and click on «Cookies».
- In this section you just have to turn on the switch of the option «Block Cookies from third parties» and the work will be done .
In Mozilla Firefox you can also enable this option. Simply follow these steps that we explain below:
- Open the browser and enter the three superimposed lines in the upper right corner of the interface.
- In it you can select the option «Block content» and after that choose accounPersonalized accoun.
- Now you just have to dial «Cookies» and next to choose «From third parties», so that the work is complete.
List of the best applications and programs to keep our privacy to the maximum on the Internet
Now that you know the security measures you should start taking to keep your data protected, it is time that you know some tools that will make your life easier in this regard.
Check out the list:
Tunnelbear.com
