Online Safety

 Read more from Eva-Maria here

The internet can be a pretty scary place.

I can understand people’s concern, especially with recent press releases about how the CIA use information of people online to catch criminals, and spy on the nation.

Without sounding too simplistic, the key to keeping safe online, is…basically, just don’t share ALL your information online!

Here are some key tips to keep you safe online.

1. Don’t give out your personal information.

The CIA have expressed their interest especially to those who share their religious beliefs, address, phone number and check ins of where you’ve been. I think this is a red flag to everyone who has this information available publicly, or even available at all. Get rid of it, and at the very least set your entire profile to private in your privacy settings, so only your friends who you approve can see this information.

2. Invest in security software.

Just like parents put parental locks on certain channels, you can do the same to prevent any viruses, or to block unwanted websites online. It’s fantastic that you have the option to protect your online use so much, so don’t overlook a few tens of dollars.

3. Limit your time on the internet.

Did you ever wonder how Facebook knows which Ads to show on the right hand side of your profile when you’re checking out what your friends have been up to? They keep tabs on what websites you look up, even after you’ve signed out of Facebook. Although this is great for businesses advertising on Facebook, it can become dangerous as this means that the right hackers, or national intelligence will be able to access what you’re looking up in the same internet session as while you’ve been surfing Facebook. Exit your window after logging out of Facebook, and open up a new one.

They may be simple, but definitely effective to help keep you safer and healthier. You can put all these in practice, starting today.

Do you need more guidance about you, or your business staying safe online? Contact me at evamaria@socialnetworkingnz.co.nz and someone from our team is bound to help if I can’t!

What is the best piece of advice you can give, or have been given about staying safe online?