Miscellaneous 2 min. read

Can You Control Your Online Privacy?

Can You Control Your Online Privacy?

online privacyWith the rise in online security breaches lately, it’s actually surprising that we haven’t had all of our online accounts breached in a single day.

Even though security is being tightened at so many companies, hackers and phishers are coming up with even more clever ways to steal your personal information. However, hackers are not the only problems for you.

Even the government wants unrestricted access to any user’s online information, in case they may need to access it one day. Did you know that the US government recently demanded large internet firms to release user account passwords? That’s right: not just simple access to your account, but your actual password that you have created.

Some government orders even asked to turn over secret question answers associated with user accounts.

As a company, how do you approach such a situation? You can’t always treat the government and law enforcement agencies the same way you treat hackers when it comes to online privacy.

And as a user, what do you do when it becomes obligatory and a legal requirement for companies to turn over your account passwords to government agencies?

While you may not be able to control how your personal information is managed or secured by the companies that have your personal information on their files, there are other things that you can control to limit your risk.

Follow these tips below and check out the top 4 tools to protect your online privacy.

  1. Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN, like Hotspot Shield VPN, is a powerful tool that encrypts your computer’s data and protects your online privacy anywhere you go.
  2. Clear your cache. Everything you do online can be tracked. Always clear your browser history, caches and cookies. If you don’t want your online search activities tracked and search history saved, your best bet is to go with an anonymous search engine such as DuckDuckGo.
  3. Keep social network activity private. Be wary of sharing sensitive information, photos or video online. Popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram allow you to change your privacy settings so that only certain people can view what you post.
  4. Turn off geo-location. The geo-location feature on browsers and mobile devices can raise privacy concerns and can also be misused by different types malware. Thieves can also use geo-location’s information to make your home a target for burglary.
  5. Set up a Google Alert for your name. Google Alerts can regularly notify you whenever your name is mentioned over the internet. It’s a great way to monitor your personal information in case an identity thief uses it. We recommend that you set alerts for other personal information such as your email address, phone number and home address.

Learn more about Hotspot Shield VPN

Priscilla Lopez on

Get the latest stories and tips from Hotspot Shield in your inbox