TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR ONLINE PRIVACY Overview • What happens on the Internet stays on the Internet —but it might not stay private. • Total online privacy is basically impossible, but also probably not what you want. • Ordinary people with ordinary privacy needs can still avoid the biggest privacy threats. What Do You Have to Hide? • Contact information (yours and others’) • Your current and past locations • Medical information • Financial information (including purchases) • Email, chat, and other communication history • Browsing behavior (current and historical) Who Wants Your Private Data? • Advertisers! • Employers, neighbors, a vindictive ex… • Hackers • Banks, lenders, and insurance companies • Major copyright holders (RIAA, MPAA) • The government and law enforcement Develop a Privacy Strategy • Make one-time changes, such as browser settings, better passwords, privacy options on social networking sites, etc. (discussed later). • Develop better habits, such as always logging out when not using your computer. • Think before putting any personal info online. Keep Your Internet Connection Private • Always use WPA for Wi-Fi networks you control. • Use a VPN when you’re on any open or unfamiliar network. • Turn on your computer’s firewall. Browse the Web Privately • Disable third-party cookies in your browsers. • Use HTTPS for sites that require logging in. • Use browser extensions such as uBlock Origin that block ads and tracking. • Keep sensitive data in a password manager. • Try DuckDuckGo for Web searches. Improve Email Privacy • Always use SSL to log in to your account. • Encrypt email messages (or at least attached files) that contain extremely sensitive info. • You can’t control what the other party does. • Use other communication methods when you need to avoid the inherent risks of email. Talk and Chat Privately • Read the privacy policies of services you use. • Use encryption when available, but… • …understand that eavesdropping may be possible even with encryption (e.g., Skype). • Consider using video (ideally) or audio instead of text. (Text is easiest to intercept and read.) Keep Social Media Sort of Private-ish • Remember what “social” means! • Check the privacy settings for each site or service you use (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). • Limit friend lists and apps. • Don’t assume “private” messages really are. • Use good passwords—and don’t share them! Share Files Privately • Just say no to piracy—it isn’t worth it. • Don’t depend on the encryption built into Dropbox; encrypt sensitive files yourself first. • Consider using friend-to-friend networks such as Retroshare or creating a personal cloud using a Lima or NAS device, Resilio Sync, or Nextcloud. Maintain Privacy for Your Kids • Remember that whatever you post about your children (text, photos, videos) will be online forever. • Avoid posting anything that can give away your child’s location or that might embarrass the child later in life. Learn More Take Control of Your Online Privacy by Joe Kissell • Much more detail about protecting your privacy • Available in PDF, EPUB, and Mobipocket (Kindle) formats.