Being a freelancer in the Age of Information is not romanticized to be like a Japanese ronin, a Russian bogatyr, or the English knight-errant, it is exactly like that. While you must keep to the law of the land to some degree, you have no master, no employer, no boss that will influence how you live your life. And, with that freedom comes risk, and we all need to partake in some internet safety tips to ensure our prosperity.
Thankfully, we can learn from our medieval predecessors and try to avoid some of the mistakes they used to make. As we are the ones using the Digital Age to our advantage, we need to follow that to its logical end. Every freelancer has a duty to stay informed and learn from the mistakes of others.
Some things are still the same; you need to make yourself valuable, acquire skills and tools, and contacts all over the known world with rich landowners business owners that will pay for your services.
Now, there is no blacksmith to make your armor, but we know what is a VPN. Premium VPN providers like Le VPN come really close in that regard. They will protect and maintain your tools to increase your safety. Second, not becoming belligerent and telling everyone about yourself will protect you while you sleep. People need to know that you are good at what you do, and that is it.
Castle Defenses – Make a Solid Foundation
Our castles are not ones made of stone, but code. Even if you truly are a wanderer and don’t have a permanent physical base of operations, you still have your sets of social media accounts, business contacts, and access to websites you work with.
These need to be protected from thieves the same as regular castles. You want to have all of your connections encrypted and the most valuable data stored offline. Additionally, you want to stay as covert as possible, both online and IRL, at all times.
You may be tempted to change your life of a freelancer for one of the influencers, but that is basically turning from a knight to a court jester.
Internet Safety Tips for Devices
The best remote work is done from a work station. Having only your laptop may be okay for some tasks, but desktop real estate can increase your productivity significantly. But, when you have multiple devices around the work station, all of them need to be protected, as well as your phone.
Also, if you have something like an iPhone, especially if you are not fully immersed in the eco-system, you will need a fast VPN app for WiFi security. That way, you can keep your phone useful and secured at the same time.
Failing to do so might see your data stolen, bank accounts ransacked, and clients losing faith that you can do your job and keep their information safe. While you might recover in part, these wounds will never truly heal.
Safety Tips for Real Life
Keep. Your. Mouth. Shut.
There is a tidal moment to freelancer’s work. Sometimes you will encounter a drought that will keep you without a dime, while at other points, you will be drowning in money. This makes it very tempting for young freelancers to flaunt a bit of that money and ”live a little’’ when you can.
But, this is also a recipe for disaster.
Not only are you not preparing for the next downtime and not investing in your future, but are also inviting both internet predators and IRL hacks to take advantage of you. The mead will flow only until you have (bit)coin, but once you are dry, everyone will leave.
Blend into your environment, act like a local, spend like a local. Being a bit shabbier than the average is even a good thing. Keep your money invested and saved somewhere and don’t show it to people you don’t trust, which should be a very select few.
A Girl Has No Name – Cyber Hygiene
This can be the new internet safety 101. With social media like Twitter being the toxic dump that it is, there will be trolls, bots, and harpies gunning to take you down for even the smallest offense. Simply the fact that you wanted to remain apolitical will make you a target. That is if they know your name.
First, use an avatar and a pseudonym. Your direct clients may know your real name if that is necessary, but the internet at large should not be privy to that type of info. Even better, feed the internet with false information about where you live, where you are from, and what you do.
Next, you can find what is your private IP address quite easily, and then you need to change that info. Use a VPN and transfer somewhere else. You are a ronin, a wandering knight in a digital age, so wonder a bit digitally.
Conclusion
Being a freelancer is liberating and frightening at the same time. Not many people survive in the field, and few live to see a comfortable retirement early. But there is always a chance, and if you follow internet safety tips, you can make a life for yourself without ever answering to a boss.
But, you need to keep your skills updated and your tools maintained. Using a good VPN provider like Le VPN to protect your devices, and practicing moderation with your behavior, will keep you on a constantly upward trajectory with the sky not being the limit, but the very place you operate.
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Written by Vuk Mujović @VukMujovic
Vuk Mujović is the founder of MacTíre Consulting, an analyst, data management expert, and a long-term writer on all things business & tech. He authored blogs, articles, and opinion pieces aimed to help both companies and individuals achieve growth without compromising their security. Vuk is a regular guest author to Le VPN Blog since January 2018, where he gives his expert opinion on the topics related to cybersecurity, privacy, online freedom, and personal data protection. He also often shares his tips and best practices in relation to internet security and digital safety of private individuals and small businesses, including some additional applications of using a VPN service.