I have found that many people don’t see their personal data as valuable and don’t fully understand the importance of keeping their data secure.
I’d like to help you see the bigger picture. As the CEO of a cybersecurity company, I’ve seen the negative consequences of not taking data privacy seriously…
Let me ask you this…
Why do you have curtains on your windows? … It sounds like a silly question, but the answer is simple...privacy...even if you have nothing to hide, you still want to keep parts of your life private. Am I right?
The same thing holds true in the cyber world, nowadays all our devices are collecting data — our computers, smartphones, watches, cars, and others! There is no limit to the amount of personal data collected and stored.
When we consider social media, those that like posting about their lives provide a public catalog of their interests, and let everyone know what they are up to. Heck, your friends don’t even need to call you to know where you are.
In today’s world data privacy is much more important and relevant than it was a few years ago. All of us have been losing our privacy, while companies are making billions off of it. We must fight to have the ability to “shut our curtains” and keep our digital lives private.
As I’m sure you can tell, our society is only moving more toward digitalization, making your data more valuable. You should protect yourself now.
You can’t lock down all data, even if you’re not using the internet or social media; but there are things people can do to manage how their data is shared.
“But I Have Nothing to Hide…”
Privacy is not about hiding, and it never was. It is about protecting ourselves from “the bad guys.” You see, the more our devices, apps, and sites collect data about us, the higher probability that these bad actors will be able to con us. The bottom line is there are many bad actors out there, and we don’t need to make it easier for them to steal from us.
If privacy isn’t necessary, why are government agencies at every level increasing legislation to hold companies accountable for protecting our private data?
On a daily basis, we submit information on the internet that would make us vulnerable to hackers. Using this information, they could threaten us into taking actions against our best interest and security.
A great example is a hacker knowing which bank you use and sending you an official-looking phishing email. You are busy multi-tasking and don’t think twice about clicking on it, thus inadvertently downloading and installing ransomware or worse — they steal your personal information, private photos, etc.
We need to get as many people as possible to switch their viewpoints from thinking that because they “don’t have anything to hide” they are safe. This is just not true, and if they understood their actual exposure, they might change their tune regarding privacy.
What Can I Do to Take Control of My Data Privacy?
There are many things one can do that are more technical, but here are a few easier things anyone can do immediately:
- Use a password manager to make your passwords difficult and use different passwords for every different site or login.
- Use a browser like Firefox that has more built-in security and privacy features.
- Use a more secure search engine like DuckDuckGo which keeps your searches private and out of public view.
Keep in mind there is nothing more important than keeping your personal information secure so that you can prevent identity theft.
Your digital identity is tied to your data. Getting into the practice of securing it now will help protect you and your family while preparing you for a future we cannot yet conceive.
Stay Safe,
Scott Kreisberg
CEO of One Step Secure IT
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