Digital privacy has become a controversial topic as the world becomes increasingly virtual.

Sure, it makes things easier when your favorite online retailer remembers your preferences. But things start to cross a line when the social media platform targets you with ads about something you were just talking about. 

Most people are unaware, though, that they have essentially given these apps permission to spy on them. It’s all in the fine print they agreed to with an update or a download.
 
To keep your privacy in this internet-focused world, you must get tech-savvy. Even tech companies fall into this trap, make sure you book your staff on Hackedu's secure coding training guide, These five tips show you how to stay digital and reduce how much data your digital devices can collect.

1. Skip the Personal Data Fields

Those “About Me” settings on social media feeds aren’t essential. They might help people get to know you but also give all that data to cybercriminals.

Think about the funny memes you see floating around your Facebook feed. First car? Favorite color? First job? Do those questions sound familiar?

If you’ve ever entered security info for your bank account or credit card, they should.

Don’t give hackers the extra help they need to access your accounts. Avoid filling out personal details that aren’t required. Think twice about downloading apps that “force” you to fill in those blanks to use them.
  • Why it Matters: Providing unnecessary personal information increases your exposure to data breaches and identity theft.
  • Actionable Steps:
    • Share only mandatory information, and question why a website or app needs certain data before providing it.
    • Avoid filling out optional fields like full address or date of birth unless absolutely necessary.
    • Use aliases or generic answers for non-essential forms to reduce your digital footprint.

2. Check Your Privacy Settings

Billions of us are on at least one social media platform. When you set up your account, you probably assumed that what you posted was only visible to your online friends. That may be far from the truth.

Each social media network has its own privacy settings. Creating an account without changing those settings means using their default visibility, which means anyone on the internet can see a lot of your information.

However, you can limit what the public can see about you by going into each account and changing your settings to the most secure features.

This isn’t limited to social media, either. When you download an app or install a smart device, read the terms before you agree to them. For example, if you’re using a macOS device, pairing strong privacy settings with tools like the best free vpn for mac can prevent apps from tracking your browsing and help protect sensitive information, especially on shared or public networks. You could unknowingly be giving apps access to more than you intended, so staying cautious is key.
  • Why it Matters: Platforms and devices often default to sharing more information than you’d expect. Customizing settings ensures you have control over your data.
  • Actionable Steps:
    • On social media, limit your profile visibility to "friends" or "private." Disable public searchability and restrict who can see your posts.
    • Regularly review app permissions on your phone and revoke access to data like your location, camera, or contacts unless essential.
    • Use privacy dashboards provided by companies like Google and Apple to monitor and adjust how your data is shared.

3. Be Careful Where Your Store Your Info

Where you store your sensitive information is crucial, too. It makes sense to use easy-to-access software like Google Drive and Dropbox. But if you don’t log out and change your password regularly and your computer gets hacked, so does your data.

If you must save your passwords so you don’t have to enter them every time, invest in a secure site to store them. Many techs and security experts recommend LastPass and 1Password.

What other personal documents are you storing online? Photos such as your driver’s license, birth certificate, and passport scans should all be encrypted before saving them. Otherwise, they’re an easy game for any amateur hacker.
  • Why it Matters: Saving sensitive data on unsecured platforms or websites can lead to unauthorized access during data breaches.
  • Actionable Steps:
    • Use secure tools like password managers (e.g., LastPass, 1Password) instead of saving passwords in browsers.
    • Avoid using cloud services to store confidential documents unless they offer strong encryption.
    • Use secure payment platforms like PayPal or virtual credit cards instead of saving card details on websites for online transactions.

4. Recognize When You’re Being Tracked

Almost any time you visit a website, you get a warning that the site collects cookies. You usually have to “agree” to be tracked to access the content. That’s an obvious sign your info is becoming part of Big Data.

You might also need to realize that your computer saves everything you do. Your browsing history, cookies, and temporary files you open are all stored by your web browser. Surfing in private mode reduces the amount of data that can be collected.

Each browser has a version of this as part of its privacy protection. Firefox uses “Private Browsing,” Chrome labels its private mode surfacing “Incognito Mode.” Searching the web in this mode keeps other people from seeing your history.

This doesn’t make you completely safe, though. Your ISP knows what you’re doing, and if you’re on a work computer, your employer can track your behavior, too.
  • Why it Matters: Websites use trackers to collect behavioral data, which can be sold to advertisers or used to profile you. Blocking these helps maintain anonymity.
  • Actionable Steps:
    • Install privacy-focused browser extensions like uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, or Ghostery to block trackers.
    • Use browsers like Brave or Firefox, which are designed for privacy, instead of data-hungry options like Chrome.
    • Periodically delete cookies, or browse in private/incognito mode when shopping or accessing sensitive information.

5. Set Up a “Junk” Email and Number

It’s helpful to have only one email and phone number to remember. But anytime you give out either, you’ve merged important contacts with spammers.

It starts out innocent as you fill out a few forms for a new car or sign up for a course you’re interested in. Suddenly, your inbox is overflowing with junk, and your phone is ringing off the hook with telemarketers.

Many companies are part of a shared database of phone and email lists. When you give your information to one, thousands of others gain access to it.

An easy way to determine if a call or email is essential is to set up two accounts. Only give your “real” info to people you know and trust. Everyone else can have junk accounts; you can check on those when you feel like it.
  • Why it Matters: Sharing your primary contact details with every service increases spam and unwanted calls, making it easier for scammers to target you.
  • Actionable Steps:
    • Create a secondary email address (e.g., via Gmail or ProtonMail) specifically for newsletters, free trials, or non-essential accounts.
    • Use a virtual phone number (e.g., through apps like Google Voice or Burner) for online forms or services that require a number.
    • Regularly monitor this secondary email and number to manage spam without compromising your main contacts.

Conclusion

Digital laws are trying but haven’t kept up with the pace of technology quite yet. In the meantime, it’s up to you to protect your privacy on the internet.