Archives - Privacy

Avoid participating in online quizzes  

Online quizzes have become a significant cultural trend, thanks to companies like BuzzFeed. They ask questions like “Which Succession character are you?” or “Do you remember these 90s TV shows?”. However, before you decide to engage with such quizzes, think about doing something else. The reason is that these quizzes are primarily created to gather […]

Set up a separate or temporary email for website registrations

Registering on a website often requires you to provide an email address. To minimize the volume of emails you receive and to protect yourself from phishing attempts, it’s advisable to use a separate email address that’s not linked with your personal account. For non-essential signups like forums, consider using a temporary or ‘burner’ email address. […]

Review website privacy policies

Prior to providing your email address online, ensure there is a privacy policy. Trustworthy websites typically include a link to their privacy policy on forms requesting personal information. Familiarize yourself with this policy before offering your email address or other personal details, so you understand how the site’s owners intend to use the information. By […]

Be careful of online stores that ask for personal info

Watch out for e-commerce sites asking for personally identifying information. E-commerce sites only really need two main data points from you: 1) your payment information, like a credit card number and 2) your shipping address. If they ask for anything else, consider finding an alternative. You don’t need to supply your Social Security number just […]

If you agree to do an online video chat, use a fake background

Online video chats are a very common way to get to know someone better before meeting them in person. But some bad actors might try to manipulate you into giving up your precise location, such as by using your background surroundings to determine where you are. Many popular video chat software can provide a fake […]

Don’t geotag your posts on Instagram or Facebook

It’s cool to add a geotag to make the post more interesting but it can lead to potential danger. People who check out your updates could assume – correctly – that your house is empty and try to break in. Plus, your location could end up getting you bombarded with ads. Ultimately, it’s better to […]