Attempting to Maintain a Level of Digital Privacy and Security

As more of our lives move online, especially in the days of social distancing, I believe it is important to attempt to maintain at least a bit of digital privacy and security. As we sign up of more digital services we give businesses, hackers, and others additional opportunities to use our data in ways we aren’t particularly comfortable with. Luckily there are lots of products and practices we can utilize to at the very least minimize what in our lives can be accessed online.

Physical Security

Making sure you are keeping track of your devices is a very simple way to keep your digital life out of the hands of others. Keep your computer/tablet/phone with you at all times to reduce the chance of physical theft. This seems like common sense but I have seen people leave their devices unattended temporarily in public spaces where they could be stolen. Another easy way to secure your devices is to always to lock it, by password, fingerprint, face unlock, passcode, etc. If your device does fall into the wrong hands, locking your device can reduce the chances of them being able to access your information.

Social Media and Free Services

There is a common saying that when something is free, you are the product. A business can offer you a free service if they can monetize the data they collect on you. That is why companies like Google and Facebook can offer many services to you for free. They are able to use and share your data in other ways such as advertising to generate profits. With every company there is a possibility of the data collected on you to fall into the wrong hands, whether that be intentionally or unintentionally. Consider choosing products with an upfront cost instead of a free version that profits off of the data collected from you.

Specifically in terms of social media, consider deleting your accounts. Not only could this keep your digital life more private, it may also improve your mental health. Obviously we all can’t delete all of our social media accounts, especially to stay connected to others in the era of social distancing. Consider updating your settings to only allow connections/friends to view your more personal information. “Closing off” your profile to others is a good practice I recommend.

Consider a VPN

VPNs, or virtual private networks, are a great tool to help protect you online. At a fundamental level VPNs provide a layer of security and anonymity online. VPNs can offer encrypting your traffic and masking your personal IP address among other features. Like stated above, choose a VPN that is not free. I personally use Private Internet Access and have no complaints about it up to this point.

Alternative Search Engine

Google is synonymous with web searches and is by far the most popular search engine. However consider using a privacy focused search engine if you value more privacy. A great alternative is DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo is focused on your privacy and offers features such as not storing any personal information and not storing any of your searches. Additional privacy focused browsers can be found here.

Web Browsers Focused On Security

Consider a web browser that is built with your security in mind. There are several options including Tor, Brave, and Firefox. Tor is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Tor works by routing your web traffic through a series of relays that works to keep you anonymous. Brave is available on Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS. It has several built in features to keep your browsing private including blocking 3rd party tracking and advertising by default and utilizing HTTPS Everywhere (more on this below). Firefox is available on Windows, Linux, Android, macOS, and iOS. Firefox offers a range of privacy features including anti-cryptomining, anti-fingerprinting, and enhanced tracking protection, which blocks 3rd party tracking cookies.

Password Managers

Password managers are a great way to use unique, complex passwords without having to remember each and every one. You should never reuse passwords between different services. When a service you use inevitably has a data breach and your password and other personal identifiable information (email, name, address) is leaked, people with access to this password could access other accounts if you share the same password across different sites and services. Password managers allow you to remember one password and then auto fill unique, complex passwords for different services. Therefore, at worst, the single account involved in the data breach is the only compromised account.

A list of quality password managers can be found here. Make sure to find one that is available across all your devices (computer, tablet, phone).

Browser Extensions

• uBlock Origin: Available on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. In addition to blocking ads, uBlock Origin blocks trackers and malware sites. It has a focus on being lightweight, reducing memory usage. Filter lists for more advanced users allow you to restrict/approve what ads you want to see.
• Ghostery: Available on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. Ghostery allows you to view/block trackers to control who collects your data. It also features enhanced anti tracking to anonymize your data to further protect your privacy.
• Privacy Badger: Available on Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera. Available on Android through Firefox. Privacy Badger is similar to Ghostery in that it stops advertisers and other 3rd party trackers from tracking you across the web.
• HTTPS Everywhere: Available as extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Included by default for the Brave browser and Tor browser. Available for both Android and iOS in different mobile browsers. HTTPS Everywhere rewrites HTTP requests as HTTPS requests on sites. For more information on HTTP vs HTTPS see here.
• Cookie AutoDelete: Available on Chrome and Firefox. Cookie AutoDelete deletes cookies as soon as a tab closes, the domain changes, or the browser restarts. This helps to reduce 3rd party advertisers and trackers from following you across the web.
• Facebook Container: Available on Firefox. Facebook Container isolates your identity into a separate container tab, which makes it harder for Facebook to track you on the web when you aren’t using their services.

These extensions/products/services are just a starting point. There are alternatives for each. You should also do your own research before downloading anything as things can change quickly when it comes to technology and something that is deemed good today might not be tomorrow. Common sense online also goes a long way. Common sense, in addition to these tools can can help increase your privacy/anonymity online. Digital privacy is something we all should strive to improve. Giving up your rights to at least some privacy is a slippery slope that will not benefit you.