DIGITAL PRIVACY & SECURITY
Today, digital privacy is more important than ever before. With data being available at anyone’s fingertips and growing hostility toward law enforcement, taking back your online privacy is critical.
While you can’t become completely invisible online, you should strive to become a challenging target to anyone with ill intent.
Here are a few tips to help you take your privacy back online.
PROTECT YOUR HOME ADDRESS
Google your name, the city you live in, and the word “address” and you’ll be surprised at what you see. People-search sites like WhitePages, Spokeo, and BeenVerified expose your personal information, including your home address, phone number, email, and names of relatives.
Removing yourself from these sites is an investment, but worth it.
Deleting your information from these sites can take up to a month, so the earlier you start, the earlier you’ll have an extra layer of protection.
PROTECT YOUR CREDIT
Placing a security freeze will not allow new creditors to query or establish a new credit account in your name. If you need to open a new account, you unfreeze the account as long as necessary.
This service is free and takes less than 5 minutes for each account. There are more than just the top three, Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. Remember Innovis, Chex, and NCTUE.
TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
You know when you log into an account and you get a text message with a 6-digit code? That’s two-factor authentication (2FA) and it’s very effective at keeping your accounts secure.
You should set up 2FA on every account that offers it, especially your email accounts. Your important financial, shopping, and social media accounts use password-reset requests sent via email. If your email account is compromised, a hacker could intercept those password-reset emails and change the passwords to your important accounts.
Data breaches are common and they expose your usernames and passwords. If you have 2FA enabled, an attacker won’t be able to access your account.
With the growth of the internet, information is readily available. Take some simple steps and you’ll feel a lot more secure at work and at home.
ARE GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK TRACKING MY LOCATION?
If you have Facebook or Google software on your cell phone, it is very possible they are tracking your every move. The default settings in these apps allow them to track you. If you are not comfortable with this, you should learn how to change the settings to stop it.
Did you know you can download the data Facebook and Google collect about you? Included in this information is your location data. This means anyone else with access to your accounts can download this information also. Maybe this is how someone always knows exactly where you are!
Want more privacy tips that can help you take back your privacy? Check out my free eBook where I go into more details on every subject listed above. Download the eBook at OfficerPrivacy.com/ebook.
Pete James is a retired law enforcement officer and expert in security issues. He is the owner of OfficerPrivacy.com and can be reached at: [email protected].
Download his free eBook at OfficerPrivacy.com/ebook.
