Protecting your data online seems to never have been more important. While you are just an average user, scrolling, streaming or working with the help of the Internet, there are not so average users out there. Unfortunately, hackers and criminals do exist, and their goal is to exploit your online life to their purposes. Your goal, on the other hand, is to protect your online life. See here what I am talking about.
When in Germany, do as the Germans do, and they do a lot when it comes to protecting their Internet privacy. Whether you live in this country or you are in a visit, you must take your privacy into consideration. There are more than a few things you can do in order to stay safe online and you should check those things out in order to ward off the criminals who might come knocking.
If you have the perfect shield, or rather multiple layers of protection, they can knock all they want, but you will never let come them in. Spying on you is the mildest thing they can do and that sounds scary already, not to mention frauds and identity thefts.
Speaking of spying, there are more people to worry about than hackers. Your employer, the government, advertisers and all kinds of corporations can all see what you are doing online. Even though you aren’t doing anything bad, this is still an attack on your privacy, and here are some things you can do to stay protected.
Set Up A VPN
One of the best things you can do for the protection of your Internet privacy is setting up a good VPN to hide your IP address and prevent surveillance. Think of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as of underground tunnels you can walk through without anybody seeing you. They help you keep your activity to yourself and keep all the prying eyes at bay.
While we are on the topic of VPNs, there is another purpose they can serve. Say you are in Germany and want to watch content that’s restricted in that country. American Netflix comes to mind as the first example, but that’s not the only content that can be restricted. In any case, a VPN will help you change your IP address to make it look as if you were streaming from the USA, which will give you complete access.
This works the other way around as well. If you are from Germany and then you visit another country in which the access to some German content is restricted, a VPN will come in handy. In simple words, VPNs help you stay safe and protected on the World Wide Web, while allowing you to watch whatever you want. This is why the popularity of VPNs is on the rise in Germany.
Install An Anti-Virus Software
For a long time, people have thought of anti-viruses as the only things necessary for their protection on the network. While they do play a crucial role, there’s one thing you need to understand. Unlike VPNs, which keep your Internet activities safe and hidden, an anti-virus software serves to safeguard your Internet connected device.
Read more about how this software works: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-antivirus-software-152947
I don’t want you to start thinking that an anti-virus software is completely unnecessary. Look at it this way. Would you want anyone to remotely gain access to all the data in your computer, or your smart phone? I believe you wouldn’t that, which is why having this software is a must if you want to safely enjoy all the wonders of the World Wide Web.
It serves you well to know the limits of this software and not to expect it to work wonders and miracles. Multiple layers of protection are the right way to go, and while a VPN is good for one thing, and anti-virus software is good for another thing. Combining them makes your online experience much safer.
Optimize Your Passwords
People tend to use the same passwords for every single one of their accounts online. They use the same combination of letters because it’s easier to remember. In addition to that, the combination of letters is usually something simple and easy to remember. When all of your accounts are connected with the same, plain password, you become an easy prey.
I suppose you can understand why it is important to use different passwords for all your accounts. If one account gets hacked, you don’t want the person to gain access to all the other accounts as well. Having a strong password is important too, so you should forget about things like birthdays, the names of your pets etc. Use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters, since you don’t want your password to be easily guessed.
You might argue against using a complicated password saying that you will forget it yourself in a matter of hours. That can be true, but there is always a way to not let this happen. You can write all of them down on a piece of paper and store it somewhere safely. It’s as easy as that.
Plus, most websites have their own ways of helping you recover your password, so don’t worry that much about getting locked out of your account. Your focus should be oriented towards staying safe while browsing and enjoying all the content accessible to you in Germany. Speaking of access, remember that a VPN will provide you with all the content you want.
