The data we generate while using the internet and our favorite apps are used daily by algorithms and for advertising. Here we have outlined some tips on protecting your privacy while using your devices.
Data Collection
Each of us produces a significant amount of data daily through emails, photos, videos, social media posts, and downloading and streaming shows. Your personal data is usually collected by mobile apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, including your location, phone ID, and personal account access data. For example, Facebook had one of the largest databases of faces in the world and has developed advanced facial recognition software.
There are many benefits to intelligent algorithms and data collection, but there are also significant downsides, especially its intrusive nature. This widespread use of technology has led to the increased demand for collecting information by retail companies. Identifying the individual is the goal of targeted marketing, giving them the ability to promote their products and services by adapting to your needs and desires.
Forget and Erase Data
As we all become more aware of the importance of data security, many want the option and right to erase personal data online and on devices. For example, Google now allows you to fill out an online form, enabling everyone to request the deletion of their personal data. Streaming services such as Netflix also use our data and algorithms to recommend shows and movies we might like based on what you have already watched.However, this may mean that we see a limited scope on the platform and miss out on other genres, simply because our viewing history indicates we wouldn’t enjoy such offerings. For this reason, many viewers like to clean the slate and delete their comprehensive Netflix histories on a regular basis. This is hardly a complicated process, as ExpressVPN’s article handily highlights. These apps installed on your devices are a gold mine for marketing. They accumulate information on our behavior or our daily movements. Another way to avoid being tracked online is to deactivate GPS geolocation in the settings, but keep in mind that this will also prevent access to other services on your device.
Blocking Access to Data
Cookies detect purchases and websites you have visited in order to offer targeted advertising. You can either refuse them at the entrance of the sites, block them by configuring the setting of your internet browsers, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, activate the private navigation, and erase the history regularly. When it comes to data privacy, a useful tool is a VPN (a virtual private network), which acts as a gate between your device and the internet, hiding your address or IP identity. VPNs enable you to access the internet from your devices anonymously, preventing the tracking of user data. These systems are often used by citizens of countries where the internet is controlled, by journalists or for professional reasons.
For your social media accounts, the best safety precaution is to set your accounts to private. Share your personal photos with discretion, and carefully choose the friends you will share them with. You can easily sort your followers with free software, such as PrivacyFix, on Facebook, Linkedin, and Google. A fundamental rule to follow is to only allow data sharing when it is useful and refuse in all other cases.
