How to Combat Digital Surveillance? Ways to Protect Yourself from Government Surveillance?
Have you ever thought about some type of product and then saw an ad for it on your phone immediately after? Some people say that they are being watched or listened to by their devices all the time. And they are not wrong! Of course, it’s not necessary to go into full-on conspiracy mode and claim that the government is after you. Still, digital surveillance is a thing!
How to Combat Digital Surveillance
Many companies have been spying on their clients ever since the internet was invented. You can kind of get used to personalized, targeted ads that follow what you have been googling in the past. But this surveillance also includes personal data leaks, no privacy in conversations, and your face stored in databases around the world. Sounds pretty grim, doesn’t it?
Well, the good news is that our society has not turned into a dystopian landscape quite yet. You can still have some form of privacy on the internet if you follow a couple of rules. For example, when students ask EssayHub write my essay for me to help with their homework, they don’t need to give out their full credentials and school name. This is basic online hygiene!
In other cases, you need to go the extra mile to protect your personal info. Read on to learn about how you can combat digital surveillance on your own!
What is digital surveillance?
Let’s start from the beginning. If you are not familiar with this term, there is a simple explanation. Basically, if a product or a service collects sensitive information, it’s part of a global monitoring system. It’s not necessarily bad. For example, you all use social network websites, mobile phones, and road webcams. Here are some DS types that you can use on a daily basis:
- Postal services;
- Biometric data, like in passports;
- Mobile phones;
- Street cameras;
- Aerial observation;
- Data mining.
How can you protect yourself?
Not everybody likes when their personal data is free to download from the internet. Of course, some people just don’t know the extent of the digital danger. When your sensitive info is leaked or sold, you become open to hacks, cybercrimes, and even danger in real life! Think about it like this: would you give out your credit card info to anybody who asks, or would you rather protect it?
Let’s look at some best practices for to protect yourself from surveillance
- Know the Law
- Know Your Provider
- Employ Best Practices
- Use a VPN
- Wear facemask in public places.
- Wear a laser light cap always
- Try to walk keeping face down
Install all software updates
This is the first step for any user out there! Software updates often mean that the developers have released some new patches, which can improve your security. When you deliberately put off some of the updates, you create a risk for your sensitive information! Bear in mind that new security threats emerge every week, so developers try to protect you the best they can.
Don’t use any of the popular search engines
The first thing that an average user does is open Google and look for something. Not everybody knows that the most widely used engines track your search history, purchases, and online preferences! So, when looking for an essay services review, try using a less popular browser, like DuckDuckGo. Your school data will be safe, and your identity protected!
Two-factor authentication is the way to go!
This is one of the most secure ways of making sure that your personal info won’t be leaked. Of course, you already know about the importance of strong passwords. Still, some hackers can get your passcode together with other stolen data. For this reason, it’s better to use two-step authentication, which basically means that you can verify your access through one more source.
It’s not necessarily inconvenient, but users will need a couple more seconds to go through the verification process. Here are some of the most popular types of two-factor authentication:
- Verification by your phone number;
- Biometrics, like scanning a fingerprint;
- QR codes;
- Randomly generated passwords that work for a limited amount of time.
Password managers can help you keep track and protect your data
You already know that strong and unique passcodes can save your sensitive data from hacking. At the same time, you can’t use the same password for every website you visit because this will defeat the purpose of your protection! With passcode managers, you can keep track of your every visit and every logged-in page without any risk of being hacked.
Use multiple steps of encryption
Some people think that the word ‘encryption’ automatically means a lot of complex actions that you can see in the movies. This is totally wrong! The latest versions of your operating systems allow you to encrypt your hard drives without any programming knowledge. This way, nobody can copy the content of your local storage without your permission.
Don’t click on anything you are not sure about!
This should be the first lesson in protecting yourself against digital surveillance and cybercriminals. On the other hand, the younger generation widely uses ad blockers, which hide any harmful content from your browser. It’s always a good idea to remind yourself every once in a while that every unknown link can potentially lead you straight into the hands of a hacker!
Takeaway
Now you know the basics of digital surveillance. The progress of technologies always means that there will be positive and negative sides to it. Some people feel like they are under constant observation even when they are browsing the internet! This is why protecting your data is critical to your safety.
