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Protect your privacy
16/02/14
Protect your privacy
- Check your Facebook and other social media privacy settings. Make sure the default privacy setting isn't set to ?public?, and if it's set to ?Custom? make sure you know and are comfortable with any networks you?re sharing with.
- Password protect all devices (would you leave your car unlocked ?)
- Use unique, long and complex passwords. The only reasonable way to do this is with the help of a (possibly free) password manager program.
- Get alerts when you?re mentioned online. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts and enter your name, and variations, with quotation marks around it. For mobiles https://en.mention.net/ may be better.
- Sign out of your online accounts when you're finished using them (rather than simply closing the browser window). Even if on your own PC your IP address could be sniffed and open sessions resumed.
- Don?t give your phone number, postcode, date of birth or other personal information unless essential. Make sure they?re not on social media sites too.
- Be extra wary of unsolicited calls and mails from unverified sources. Remember that email addresses can be forged ? don?t blindly trust all you read.
- Run an up-to-date paid for security suite. The best one changes each year so ask me for a recommendation.
- Encrypting your computer means that someone has to have your password (or encryption key) in order to peek at its contents should they get access to your hard drive. On a Mac choose the "Turn on FileVault"¯option. PC folk need to use Bitlocker or TruCrypt.
- Turn on 2 (or 3) step authentication. See previous blog.
- Pay cash. Especially for potentially embarrassing purchases.
- Use An IP Masker. To hide your online footprint, you can download Tor or use an easy browser-based option like HideMyAss.com or HTTPSEverywhere.
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