Before supplying any information online, consider the answers to the following questions: Do you trust the business? Is it an established organization with a credible reputation? Does the information on the site suggest that there is a concern for the privacy of user information? Is legitimate contact information provided? If you answered “No” to any […]

Many social media platforms allow you to check in and broadcast your location, or automatically add your location to photos and posts. Geolocation or geo-tagging features on social networks is not the safest feature to activate. You could be telling a stalker exactly where to find you or telling a thief that you’re not home.

Apps like Slack and HipChat are enormously popular in today’s workplaces. However, they log your conversations and may allow supervisors to view information without your knowledge. Use discretion or resort to other communications channels for private matters.

Sharing updates about vacations and other trips is one of the most common social media activities, but it’s a risky one. Making this information publicly viewable can be dangerous to your physical security: Someone might plan a robbery based on knowledge of when you won’t be at home.

Privacy policies are the Internet’s equivalents of fine print: They often contain many important details that nonetheless usually go unnoticed. Any time a company notifies you of an update to its policy, be sure to read it, since it might explain how your data is collected and shared with third parties. You can then adjust […]

Facebook can be a useful platform for keeping in touch with friends and family. However, it collects immense data on its users, even when they leave the site. Consider installing a browser add-on like Facebook Container in Firefox to hide your web browsing details from Facebook and prevent targeted ads and suggestions.