5 best ways to keep your personal data safe online

With the increasing number of cases of celebrity social media account hacks and private data spillage online there is an anxiety in the Indian masses about ways to keep one safe online.

Some fear there are too many evil hackers out there baying for your blood, and in the scheme of things the naïve Indian would ultimately get squashed. Others believe the very idea of 24*7 connectivity is antithetical to privacy.

Here are the 5 things one could do to keep themselves safe online:

Pick strong passwords
The average Indian brain is too lazy to pick solid passwords that can give hackers a run for their money. Some of us are lazy enough to reuse passwords for online accounts. That could spell disaster. The best solution is to let an algorithm generate your password and employ a password manager software. If there is provision for multi stage authentication, use it.

Web browsing
Browsing is the key to anything one does online. What if I told you the log of the sites you visit is actually freely accessible? Anybody can use it to snoop on you, including companies that track your online searches to display personalized ads. Use free tools to obscure your clickstream and keep away these eavesdroppers.

Use encrypted message services
Most voice and SMS services provided by telecom companies can be snooped on with cheap and easily available gadgets. Apps like Apple’s FaceTime and WhatsApp on Android use encrypted messages which are safer.

Wireless services
Public Wi-Fi networks are a hacker’s paradise. In a recent experiment, a techie walked away with loads of sensitive data by exploiting Bengaluru international airport’s free Wi-Fi.

The least you can do is ensuring the website you access uses HTTPS and not the unencrypted HTTP.

Cloud services
Value Edward Snowden’s service to humanity. All cloud services Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, etc leave room for snooping. Assume if government secret services can access your data, even hackers can. If you trust them with your data just encrypt it.
Better still, carry an encrypted USB drive. Safe and convenient.

(Image: Indiatimes)