What You Need To Know About Internet Safety

As of 2017, it is nearly impossible to imagine a life without an internet connection. If we’re speaking about the pros of the internet, there are innumerable ones. We’re constantly online through our phones and laptops and even our desktops. In such a case, we need to be extra careful to ensure internet safety.

Personal Information Online

The internet is a source of education, of entertainment and social networking since you get to meet a variety of people online and connect with them. But remember, every time you connect to the internet or you go online, you are making yourself vulnerable. Most of us don’t think twice before putting our personal information out there. For instance, while buying things online, we give up our credit card information. But do you realise that trolls and cyber bullies are forever on the watch out for vulnerable people who could be fooled?

Ensure Internet Safety, Privacy, And Anonymity

Let’s take a look at some crucial points regarding internet safety:

• Of course, social media offers you endless possibilities for social networking and allows you to meet newer people everyday. Also, you get to meet and interact with a number of like-minded people. But as far as internet safety is concerned, this is a playground for cyber bullies. Since freedom of speech is unrestricted here, people are free to say whatever they want, regardless of how it might affect someone or how it may hurt someone’s feelings.
• While out travelling, most of us use a public internet or shared wifi. Now that is pretty dangerous. In this case, there are two things you could do. One, you’re careful about what you put out there and ensure that you’re not sharing sensitive information like passwords and username. Or, you could use a virtual private network or VPN. A VPN can establish net neutrality and would also make sure that you don’t put yourself at risk. A virtual private network is actually your best option if you’re constantly on the move. You get unhindered access to the internet and not at the cost of internet safety.
• Make sure you keep a check on your personal information. A website may claim to be entirely safe, but who knows, leaks aren’t all that uncommon. Let’s say you purchase something off of a site and you hand over your card credentials to make the payment. If your network isn’t encrypted, such personal information may fall into the wrong hands and may be misused. That is precisely why you need a VPN, which would transmit your data over encrypted lines.
• One of the major risks of providing your personal information online is identity theft. Your information, like name, phone number, address, card details and so on may be used by cyber bullies to impersonate you. That could land you in major trouble. This is one of the crucial aspects of internet safety.

Of course, the world wide web has made things ten times easier for us than it was for our parents. But the truth remains, due to the widespread use of internet and net neutrality, internet safety becomes a plaything in the hands of many. That certainly puts all of us at risk, does it not?