If you’re reading this, chances are you’re concerned about protecting your online privacy. Are you worried about negative feedback from customers? Do you handle sensitive personal information that’s connected to emotional family ties? If any of these situations resonate with you, it’s time to reconsider how you disclose your personal information on the internet. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you out.
Rethink How You Share Your Personal Information Online
The internet has made it incredibly easy to locate anyone you want. But what if you want to remain private? You have every right to keep your personal information away from strangers who might invade your privacy or bother you.
While it may be difficult to hide certain work-related details like your professional email, work phone number, or LinkedIn profile, you can still protect your personal information such as your cell phone number, home address, personal email address, and basic details.
To ensure your personal information is safer, follow these steps:
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It’s important to keep your information private in order to keep it safe. ( )
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Steps to Maintain Your Online Privacy
Make Your Social Media Accounts Private
Double-check and switch all your social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any others you may use, to private.
Change Your Profile Photo to a Non-Identifiable One
Once your accounts are private, if you really want to maintain anonymity online, change your profile photo to a non-identifiable one. Choose a photo where your face isn’t visible and avoid using pictures of your family. Many people change their Facebook cover photo to a family picture and never think about it again. However, cover photos are automatically set to public, so use a photo of scenery or something that isn’t identifiable to you.
Ask Kurt: Is It More Secure to Use My Cellphone Data vs WiFi? Woman changing her social media profile photo to a non-identifiable one. ( )
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Change Your Name on Social Media
It’s surprisingly easy to find people online, especially on social media, if you have their full name. Make sure your (private) Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts don’t display your full name. You could opt for your first and middle name, initials, or a nickname.
On Facebook, make sure you change both your account name and your username. Remember, your username is the URL of your Facebook profile, and many people forget that their username contains their full name.
Here’s how to change your name on Facebook:
1. Click on your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
2. Select “Settings & privacy,” then click on “Settings.”
3. Enter your new name and click on “Review change.”
4. Enter your password and click on “Save changes.”
To find your username on Facebook:
1. Log in to your Facebook account.
2. Click on your profile picture and name at the top left.
3. Your username will be shown in the address bar of your browser.
To change your username on Facebook:
1. Click on your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
2. Select “Settings & privacy,” then click on “Settings.”
3. Click on “Username.”
4. Enter your new username and your password, then click on “Save changes.”
Make sure you change both the display name and username across all platforms, if possible.
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Update Your Software
If your browser, operating system, or apps are outdated, they might be vulnerable to hackers. To protect your account, make sure to keep your software updated.
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Invest in Data Removal Services
If you want to protect your online privacy and security, consider using a removal service that can help you delete your personal data from numerous sites and prevent hackers from exploiting your information.
Although no service can guarantee the complete removal of all your personal data from the internet, having a removal service can be effective if you want to consistently monitor and automate the process over time.
Check out my top picks for personal data removal services here
Use Strong and Unique Passwords
Create strong passwords for your accounts and devices, and avoid using the same password for multiple online accounts. Consider using a password manager to securely store and generate complex passwords. It will help you create unique and difficult-to-crack passwords that hackers could never guess. Additionally, it keeps track of all your passwords in one place and autofills them for you when you’re logging into an account, so you don’t have to remember them all yourself. The fewer passwords you have to remember, the less likely you are to reuse them for your accounts.
Get more details about my best expert-reviewed Password Managers of 2023
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Kurt’s Key Takeaways
In today’s digital age, it’s crucial to reassess how you share personal information online in order to protect your privacy. By making your social media accounts private, updating privacy settings, using non-identifiable profile photos, and considering name changes, you can maintain anonymity. Investing in removal services can also help automate the process of removing personal information from the internet, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
How do you currently protect your personal information online, and are there any additional steps you plan to take after reading this article? Let us know by commenting below. You can also reach us by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
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