The digital world has made our lives both easier and more difficult. It makes things easier because it enables us to make transactions and otherwise engage with others more quickly. However, it also leads to difficulties because it creates a certain amount of exposure that criminals can exploit. But being online doesn’t mean being an automatic victim. Here are the best ways to keep your personal information safe, both online and offline.
Protect Your Passwords
Passwords are such simple things. Just a few characters stand between your information and nefarious individuals who want it. Fortunately, it’s easy to create passwords that can flummox the most dedicated thief. Avoid simple single-word passwords or ones that are easy to guess. Jumble up a series of letters, numbers, and symbols. The longer they are, the better. Use different passwords for different accounts and devices as well. If that seems too daunting to remember, find a secure password manager that stores and protects your passwords.
Get Two-Factor Authentication
Anything worth doing is worth doing twice, especially when it comes to security. An example of this is two-factor authentication. It involves providing a password on your browser while giving confirmation on another personal device like your phone. If someone has one without the other, they won’t be able to get in. Always take providers up on the opportunity to opt in to two-factor authentication. It might seem like extra work to view your own stuff, but that little bit of effort provides a lot of extra protection.
Be Mysterious
While it’s great to interact with others on social media, it’s possible to overshare and put yourself at risk. Don’t put too much information about yourself online. No one needs to know your location, contact numbers, special dates, or other information about you that can help them figure out passwords, screening questions, and the like. As a side note, photos are fun to share, but you should restrict viewing to trusted people. Furthermore, don’t provide hints that you’re out of town or away from home.
Use Trusted Networks
Make sure you can trust the institutions and organizations you must share your information with. Protect your healthcare information when you interact with doctors and other providers online by ensuring their platforms and portals are secure. Check the website URL. If there’s an s after the http, that means it’s a secure site that uses encryption. Never use public Wi-Fi to share sensitive information because you never know who might be intercepting and looking at it.
Those are some of the best ways to keep your personal information safe. Above all, remember to be aware of your surroundings online and to be sure who you’re talking to is the person you should be talking to!
