Internet Rules to Keep You Safe

Staying safe online is about more than never sharing your social security number online. With the likes of Facebook and Instagram sharing users' information, it's paramount that you do all you can to properly protect yourself while online. Use the following tips to safeguard your information on the Internet:

Limit Your Personal Information

Many people turn to their favorite social media platforms to share as much personal information as possible. While it may be tempting to reveal the inner details of your personal life and relationships on social media, this can be detrimental to your career and physical safety as well. Just as many employers review their employee's social media profiles to look for anything dissatisfactory, many criminals spend time searching through accounts to find vulnerable information like addresses or people's current locations.

Keep Privacy Settings On

Social media users that do want to share more intimate details on their social media accounts should be sure to check their privacy settings. By making sure that only a close group of trusted friends and family members can access their information, they'll be able to deter would-be hackers and criminals that are perusing the Internet for public profiles. Make sure to change these privacy settings with everything you share to control who sees your posts.

Practice Safe Browsing

When searching online, be sure to avoid any sites that look dangerous. Cybercriminals often bait unsuspecting people onto their unsafe sites through click-bait content. Once you visit these sites, they can access your information, expose your sensitive data, and even infect your electronic devices with malware. The best way to practice safe browsing is to make sure the small lock icon to the left of any site's URL is locked and a green or gray color as unsafe sites will feature a red and unlocked icon.

Use a VPN Connection for Internet Browsing

VPN's are another way to safeguard your private information. These VPNs are private networks that enable you to protect your data when using public Wi-Fi. As anyone can access public Wi-Fi, without a VPN, your private information will be exposed.

Going online can be particularly dangerous if the proper precautions aren't taken. By putting these four strategies into practice, you'll be able to browse freely without compromising your private information.