Digital Saftey

    Digital Safety: Why Should You Care?

    In today's society everything we do is watched, surveyed, and tracked. Being aware of where your information is going is vital to keeping yourself safe and protected. Knowing digital safety can prevent you from losing thousands of dollars right under your nose to not only greedy individuals but as well as to large corporations. Identify theft runs ramped everyday, how can we stop it?  

    Protecting your private information is crucial, there are so many ways that people will try to scam and trick users into giving access to bank information, passwords, emails, and the list goes on. What is privacy? Privacy can be described as the "freedom from unauthorized intrusion." Keeping the unwanted eyes and ears out of our business in laymen's term! 

    I have been raised in the Age of Technology and have had access to the Internet since a young age, my parents had to learn quick to ensure my safety. We are all told to never share personal information with strangers or even loved ones over social media messages, because we never know who could be watching. Some other ways to keep your information safe is by never sharing personal details, where you live or are travel to, and knowing who has access to your passwords and data. Personal details can be an assortment of different things but the main ones are; financial details, full legal name, where you live (NEVER share your current address!), and your age/ birthday. These are things that identity thieves will find and use against you. 

    There are many ways people try and trick users into giving them access to their accounts. You're first line of defense against these people is you! Users are advised against engaging with suspicion messages asking for money, pressing links or photos from people you do not know, making sure one has a strong secure password, and always signing out of your accounts when finished with them. Thats just tackling the subject of scammers in emails and social media messages, the scariest part is when it's happening even when you take those precautions on social media. 

    Your digital data is almost always being tracked and followed, many companies sell your data off to brokers. Why would a company want to buy or sell your personal information? Well for none other than marketing purposes. Once a broker has your data they can sell your web activity and other personal information to companies that want you to buy their products. Have you ever talked about wanting something and moments later you are bombarded with ads promoting that same product you just mentioned? McNutt & Partners wrote a great article about this subject. The article goes in and explains that Instagram and Facebook aren't "listening" to us but they are surveying our online behaviors. If you are talking about it with a friend or co-worker you've most likely searched it up on Google or saw it on someone else's page, Instagram uses this data to infer that you are interested in this product and will continue showing it. 

    In a way, this is harmless, uncomfortable? Yes. Preferred? Absolutely not. But if my information is just used to show me different Funko Pops and the many sites that sell them, then that'll be the least of my concern. However, thats not the only place your data is getting sold. The black market has been buying peoples data and personal information for years! Your name and IP address can be used by someone on the dark web to ensure their safety and linking their activities to you. Many people use Virtual Private Networks, aka VPN, on their computers and phones to keep their data private, it is great if you use a lot of free wifi when out running errands or do work and study outside of your home. Many IP thieves use public wifi as a way into your device, VPNs encrypt your data to prevent eavesdropping and data breaches. 

     Now that you are aware of some of the dangers the digital world how can we apply it to our everyday life? Change your passwords every so often, try and make them secure and not easy to guess, invest in a VPN to protect your data, and stay caution if a message or email looks suspicious. The internet is full of people wanting to do wrong things but it is also a great resource for us! We are able to learn anything we can think off, discuss topics of common interests with people around the world, and stay updated on old friends and family we no longer are able to talk to. I love social media for the benefits it brings us while stay caution and attentive to the dangers that lurk in the shadows.