Three quick tips to kick off privacy day

Today is Data Privacy Day (Data Protection Day in Europe). Dedicate 10 minutes today to improve your online privacy. Here are our favorite 3 tips that you can implement in one of your coffee breaks.

Search yourself online!

Our social activities reveal a lot: who we meet, when and where. What we like on Facebook or retweet on Twitter. The pictures we share, the content we publish on blogs. Sure, we do them to have fun or socialize, but it’s important to shape your public online image with your job, promotions college application in mind. You can do a lot to protect your privacy by keeping your social media profiles sealed.

Set your profiles to the strictest privacy settings available on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social networks. Only share information with people you know and trust. Never post personal details like your address, phone or credit card number on a social network, or anywhere else online.

Change your passwords!

Recent breaches and hacks serve as reminders of the importance of password hygiene. Changing passwords regularly is a good idea, as is using a different password for each site.

Use two-step verification, where it is available! Without it, if passwords are lost in a corporate security breach, hackers have a far greater opportunity for mischief. This additional security layer protects your phone even if your password gets compromised, as would-be hackers still need your phone or Security Code to get into your account.

Secure your smartphone!

Smartphones and other mobile devices can work like your office on the go. Your devices have access to email, address book and other sensitive personal or business data. But have you taken any steps to keep your data safe from prying eyes?

First, switch on your phone’s passcode lock to control who can have access to it. Choose apps that offer higher level security with encryption, like Mailpile for emails, LastPass to keep your passwords safe, Tresorit to sync, share and access your files and Pidgin for secure messaging and chat. If you use an Android phone or iPhone, you can further add phone-based privacy protection by installing an app like Lookout Mobile Security.