Online privacy is everyone’s mind these days. For years we have dealt with company data breaches and hackers, but now the stakes feel higher. These issues are more personal now. Companies like Google and Facebook track browsing behaviors even when users aren’t on their sites. Targeted ads seem to be listening in on conversations.
In 2018, there is a major lack of transparency between companies and their users. Nobody is sure how their data is being used or who is using it. And what happens when that information gets into the wrong hands? It happens all the time, like last year when 147 million customers’ social security and tax identity numbers were stolen from the credit report company Equifax.
With security breaches happening daily, it’s no surprise that Americans have a number of online privacy concerns in 2018. Data from 1,000 respondents in this survey by TheBestVPN backs this claim up. The survey shows that 93 percent of respondents feel similarly or more concerned about their privacy compared to one year ago.
Hackers are the biggest concern
Fifty-one percent of respondents cite hackers stealing information as their main concern. This makes sense, considering the headlines of Russian hackers topping the news cycle weekly.
While hackers are hard to avoid, one way to protect yourself is to avoid any suspicious emails or websites asking for information. Don’t open emails from unknown senders, especially those subject lines urging you to open immediately. Never click links from senders you don’t trust. If you think your information has been compromised, disconnect your WiFi, backup important files on a flashdrive, change major passwords, and run a malware check immediately.
Major misunderstandings
The survey data also shows 54 percent of respondents are not confident they understand how companies collect their online information. Many don’t trust organizations with their information either.
You may have noticed an influx of emails this year on companies updating their privacy policies. This is because of the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulations law, which went into effect spring 2018. The law places stricter rules on how companies gather data collection consent from their users.
Next steps
Despite high risks and major privacy concerns, one-third of survey respondents haven’t taken any steps to protect their online privacy. This is in part to due with the purposefully confusing language companies put in place around their privacy policies. Regardless, it is important to take the time to customize your social media account settings to stay safe online.
In addition to updating your privacy settings, there are a few other steps to protect your online information. Using a VPN, or virtual private network, to browse the web will keep your browsing history and transactions secure. Avoid connecting to public WiFi when possible. Only use secure sites that begin with “https,” never make transactions on sites beginning with only “http.” You are your best advocate when it comes to protecting online privacy.
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