Simple Ways to Maintain Privacy and Security Online

As our technologies grow and the web is tied to nearly every aspect of our day to day lives in some way or another, the need for doing things with a strong sense of security and privacy gets more and more essential. The problem is, it also gets harder to come by.

Some to the biggest concerns of Internet users across the globe include the collection of data from major corporations and how they use it. And now that we purchase more from the Internet than ever before, the projections of our financial records and access to our accounts is critical for everyone.

Recently, I've come across a few great tools, all 100% free and fairly easy to use, that will help ensure your information remains protected.

For Search

Most people only know or have experience with a few web browsers of the tons that are out there. The big ones include Google Chome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Opera. About a year ago, I somewhat accidentally got introduced to a new option while tutoring a young boy in using Photoshop. His mother had him using something called Duck Duck Go which is now gaining popularity and there is one big reason for that.

Duck Duck Go does not track its users and does not use your search records to customize content in ads or really anything else which is quite refreshing. The web address is Duckduckgo.com and if you like Chrome, you can even use it as a browser extension to get all the formatting benefit of Chrome and none of the privacy invasion. There is also an Android app.

For Social Media

Social media companies are notorious for collecting data and selling it. If you’re not into that, there is one option you can use that prides itself on never collecting your personal info. This platform is called MeWe. A couple of years ago it was really catching on but has slowed since. It’s kind of like how Facebook was when it originally came out, simple and clean. I’ve written another article exclusively on MeWe if you want to check it out. You can find it at mewe.com and even though there is a paid version the standard option is free.

Secondly, while this option doesn’t rule out data collecting from the platforms, it does allow you greater control over what you see on them. I’m talking about using either FB Purity for Facebook on your PC or an app called Friendly Social Browser on Android. These give you virtually full control over your newsfeed and tons of other settings. Both are a little more involved and take some time to learn but you should get the hang of this quickly. To learn more about them visit fbpurity.com or the Google Play Store.

For HTTPS

Whether you are ordering products or services on the web or have another reason to have the benefit of using a site with the https protocol, here’s some fantastic news. Both businesses and consumers benefit from the protocol but in different ways. For businesses, https shows a sense of professionalism while for consumers this feature provides a sense of reliability and safety. Many online sellers, especially mom and pop shops, do not currently have https set up. This may be due to the additional tech-savvy needed to do so or the cost involved. But, if you want to buy something from Mom and Pop’s Online Crafts Shop but are hesitant due to it having only a basic HTTP URL, there is an easy and free way to fix that.

If you use Chrome, go to the Chore Store and Download HTTPS Everywhere. If you go to their website at eff.org/https-everywhere you will also see that it is available for Firefox, Opera, and the newer versions on Android and IOS. When you turn it on it automatically changes websites from the standard HTTP to the upgraded HTTPS.

These sites and extensions should really help to keep your private information private and your security in check.