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6 Simple Ways to Protect Your Privacy on the Internet

Australian Information Commissioner Angelene Falk on Monday 13th May  said 1132 companies reported local breaches in the year to March 31 – compared to just 159 voluntary notifications in the previous 12 months.

It’s been a little over a year since new commonwealth laws forced medium to large organisations to reveal when personal data was improperly accessed.

Some 16.5 million people were affected in the 1132 breaches. In one breach alone in 2019, data on more than 10 million people was exposed.

That’s the reason we would want to discuss

6 Simple ways to protect your privacy on the internet:

1. The Basics:

  • If in doubt, throw it out: Some malware and phishing scams are getting more and more sophisticated over time. So if you have any doubts about the email specially if they relate to social media, financial services, utility or federal police, Please delete those messages.
  • Stay Updated: Always keep your computer’s operating system, browser and security software up to date.

2. Privacy settings

Updating privacy settings on websites and services is a must. We should be very particular on Social Media and search site such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, Yahoo.

There is generally an option in the settings menu option so it’s fairly easy and a must do.

We tend to share a lot on social media in today’s world but we should ideally share this information only with people we know. I know this is hard to do but we must make sure that a person with malicious intent has as less information about us as possible which would make it difficult for them to target us.

3. Blocking Cookies:

Blocking third party cookies on your browser is another good way to maintain anonymity while online. Blocking cookies will make sure that websites have a hard time tracking your browser history or user names. We understand it might be less convenient in some cases but its worth it.

4. Stronger Passwords:

We can’t stress enough on this point and feel this is the most critical out of all. We all know the importance of a strong password linked to our accounts but still we tend to get predictable or lazy with our choice of passwords. As every website these days requiring password, we need to make sure that we don’t use the same password over and over again on different websites.

We need to make sure that we choose our passwords wisely.

5. Secure wireless connection:

Always use a secure wireless connection and stop using public wifi networks. Public wifis are one of the primary reasons that a lot of our information gets compromised cause we never know how secure the network is.

6. Better Browsing:

You should delete cookies regularly (in Chrome, for example, go to the Chrome menu and then click Clear Browsing Data.) You should also log out of social media websites like Facebook, and even your Google account when not using them (and don’t keep them open in tabs on your browser).

Maria Padisetti

My secret ingredient is that I am my customer’s biggest advocate. I know they can achieve the impossible. This, combined with the care I show has enabled Digital Armour to win the National Customer Excellence & Innovation Award twice, establish strong business relationships, and become a preferred partner for Telstra and Microsoft.I have over 19 yrs experience helping businesses transform and succeed through the use of technology. I know the guidance and support required so my customers don’t just survive tech transitions but thrive through them.I believe in serving humanity. I know kindness spreads through organisations, making a positive impact on leaders, staff, customers and out into the economy. I believe in community and I help mentor migrant women who want to become entrepreneurs or forge a corporate career.

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