Data Privacy Day is Jan. 28, reminding us about the importance of protecting our identity online.
Personal information is anything that can be used to identify you. This includes your
- name
- email address
- phone number
- purchasing and browsing history and
- location data.
Websites, mobile apps, social media companies, data brokers and advertising technology firms track users online and offline, harvesting their personal data. Here’s a fun fact — Dictionary.com has over 100 different trackers on its website!
Data privacy best practices
- Choose your cookies wisely. When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device to make the site work as you expect it to. Some websites and browsers allow you to control your privacy by disabling or blocking certain types of cookies and trackers.
- Make your web browsing private. Also known as incognito or private mode, this feature is available in web browsers. It allows you to browse the internet while minimizing any traces of your online activity on your devices.
- Disable unnecessary tracking. Many apps and websites ask to track your exact location, request access to your contact list, scan your network for connected devices and even access your photos and microphone. Always question if these requests are relevant to the app or service. For example, why would a gaming app need access to your contact list and location?
- Simply ask not to track. If you use an Apple device with app tracking transparency, apps must ask your permission to track you across different apps and websites owned by other companies. You can change preferences for any app or prevent apps from asking for permission entirely in Settings. This option is called advertising ID for Android devices and can be deleted in Settings.
- Know your privacy rights. Many states are starting to enact data privacy laws to help protect consumers. These privacy laws help consumers by creating transparency about what data is being collected and how it is being used, and giving consumers the right to delete it. According to a recent study, more than half of Americans say they always, almost always or often agree without reading privacy policies.
With these best practices in mind, you can start your new year on the right foot by keeping your data secure while online.
