Boost Your Online Privacy Via Acumor

How private are your treks across the World Wide Web?

As the recent news of government surveillance of phone and Internet activity have proven, not very.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t take steps to boost your privacy while online.

Dennis O’Reilly, a writer with CNET, recently wrote a feature story taking a look at the ways in which you can cover your tracks while surfing the Web.

If you want any chance to remain anonymous online, you’ll follow his advice.

A stronger browser

First, take the steps necessary to make your browser more private. You can do this by installing the AdBlock Plus add–on, which is available for Firefox and Chrome. According to O’Reilly, this add–on will remove adds from your browser and the tracking components of these ads. O’Reilly also recommends that you install the NoScript add – on. This allows JavaScript – a favorite target of malware creators – to run on a site – by – site and script – by – script basis.

Don’t let apps track you

O’Reilly also recommends that you don’t let your apps access your location. This is more important than you think. O’Reilly refers to a study published in scientific Reports showing that researchers were able to identify a person based only on four data points that they gained from the location data broadcast by this person’s smart phone. In other words, your apps can expose you more than you might think.

VPN matters

Finally, O’Reilly says that you should keep your IP address private by running a VPN. A VPN, also known as a Virtual Private Network, hides your IP address from snoopers. Of course, this isn’t fool – proof – clever cybercriminals can best even a VPN – but it does offer far more protection than does a public IP address. Unfortunately, even taking all of these steps can’t guarantee that you’ll be safe from cyber criminals. But this doesn’t mean that you should ignore these suggestions. Remember, the more roadblocks you create, the less likely it is that all but the most skilled hackers will target you.

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Read additional Acumor articles in their November Newsletter .

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(Image Credit – Acumor)

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