Digital privacy is one of the greatest concerns of modernity. A great part of our lives is happening online, whether we like it or not. We use the internet to work, make friends, keep up to date with friends and family and find love, and we usually do not want any of these things to get mixed up.

Many people feel helpless when they face the possibility of being hacked, as if there was nothing they could do against criminals stealing their personal information. There is a widely spread misconception that security measures have to be extremely sophisticated and expensive, or else there is nothing much you can do to protect yourself. However, there is a lot you can do that won’t necessarily require high computer skills or a lot of money. Expert private investigators from Philippine PI have created a list with some of the simplest ways to help you protect your digital privacy.

1. No one can beat the tape method

If there is one thing most hackers won’t ever have access to, is your physical device. Many people are unaware of the fact that their webcams and microphones can be activated remotely by a hacker. According to the experience of Philippines investigators, criminals use the images, video footage and the information they can capture to blackmail their victims. With online blackmail being one of the bigger problems with online crime in the Philippines, it is important to protect yourself and avoid being victim.

One of the world’s most targeted characters, Mark Zuckerberg, has found a simple way to reduce his risk. He has demonstrated that the simplest things can make a big difference. Putting a little piece of tape to your webcam and microphone while you are not using them prevents hackers from obtaining images, video or audio that you won’t want them to have.

2. Be selfish about your personal information

What can a hacker obtain from your computer or your social media, if you have not stored or shared the important stuff there? The less you share, the least you’ll be victim to hackers snooping around your information.

People who are constantly victims to online hacking, identity theft and other online crimes have one thing in common: they usually share too much! Thousands of people are giving out their personal information voluntarily, because they are naïve enough to think that no one will be interested in their information. But, scammers and hackers are actively looking for new victims, and when you share a lot, you are making yourself more vulnerable to privacy risks.

3. Old fashion works better sometimes

Technology brings many convenient things, like being able to use your fingerprints to unblock your device or make payments -and therefore saving you from remembering thousands of codes-. The downside is that the more technology advances, the more we depend on it and the more it makes us vulnerable. Build strong passwords for all your online services, including bank accounts, social media profiles and online dating accounts. If you are not too good at remembering your passwords, try keeping them written down somewhere safe in your house. This will reduce the chances of a hacker stumbling upon your passwords if they get access to your computer.

4. Check privacy policies and your privacy settings

It might be boring, but it is better to read the privacy policies of every service you sign up to and to work on the setting to get the maximum privacy you can out of them. Most of the times the default settings make our information public, so you do have to make an effort to read and understand what you are agreeing to.  If a website doesn’t respect your privacy, don’t use it.

C. Wright
© 2016 Philippine PI

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