The Internet is a valuable tool, but can also be dangerous in some ways. Society uses the internet for a variety of uses, including social media, online banking, online shopping, and content sharing. We greatly rely upon the internet for our daily lives and place a tremendous amount of trust into its ability to protect the wealth of personal information that we place on the web. However, it is important to ensure that we are being safe with the information that we choose to place on the internet. The internet is full of thieves, hackers, and identity thieves, and oftentimes we cannot see them coming. Internet safety is something that many schools teach their students, but children are not the only ones who need education on internet safety. Everyone, from children, teenagers, to adults can benefit from internet safety lessons and tips. Everyone who goes onto the internet should be aware not only of the possible threats that lurk around every web page but how you can protect yourself and defend your personal information. From hackers, thieves, and cyber stalkers, it is important to monitor what information is placed on the internet.
Consider what you put online
When using social media websites, it is important to think about each and every post that you share with your friends. Because you are never truly sharing with only your friends, as countless other people can gain access to your posts, seeing your pictures, status updates, and personal information such as your hometown and where you currently live. Do not share photos or status updates or tweets with any information that can tell strangers your address, your car’s license plate, details of your home, or whether or not you are home or on vacation. Always ensure that no one can find you based on the information you post, or whether or not your home is occupied or not.
When online shopping, read the company’s privacy policy first
It may be tedious to read through the long privacy policy of companies and businesses that you shop online from, but it is the only way to ensure that you only buy from companies that will keep your personal information safe and secure. Some companies online will sell your personal information to third parties, in order to increase their own profits. By reading the privacy policy of a company before purchasing anything and giving away personal information, you can keep yourself safe.
Choose a safe and secure password
While this may seem like a common sense tip, many thieves hack into your personal information and accounts simply by guessing your password. Many people reuse the same password or use personal information such as their favorite sports team or their children’s birthday as their password, which can be easily hacked into. By choosing different and unique passwords for each account that you have will greatly reduce the risks of getting hacked, and your personal information stolen by thieves and hackers.
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