I used to say, “if someone thinks my life is that interesting, then let them listen in.” Now I realize that I may have been a bit naïve in my thinking. I do not have anything to hide, and my daily life is pretty rudimentary. This fact, though, does not give Big Tech the green light to invade my privacy. My newfound opinion on my privacy came to a head in late 2019. I had a conversation in the garage with my son after he came home from school about a new tablet for Christmas. That evening, my Facebook feed and internet browser were filled with Amazon Fire Tablet advertisements. This creeped me out to the point I disabled Siri on my phone and watch and turned off my Alexa for good.
During my education experience in media literacy, I learned about online websites and social media terms of service and privacy policy. I learned that I did not understand what protecting myself online really meant. In reading the Top 10 Tech Security Basics Every Person Should Follow, I went through each of the ten and followed the article’s direction. There were a few items that I would not have thought to do. One of which was updating the settings on my wireless router. As a non-technical person, I felt the wireless router’s factory settings would provide ample security and would install automatic updates. Following the article’s advice, I checked the settings and discovered important updates requiring immediate attention.
Another item in the top ten security suggestions that made me think about my personal security mistakes was using public Wi-Fi. To save on cell phone data, I often log in to public Wi-Fi networks. To my delight, there were a few techniques that would make sure my personal information is safe when using open Wi-Fi networks. On the article’s recommendation, I installed the CyberGhost VPN on my cell phone and my computer. This plugin enables my device to perform as if it is on a secure private network when using a public one.
The last item I would never have figured necessary was using a password manager. Now I understand why using one is essential. Like everyone else these days, I sometimes work outside of the office and the home. Although I dedicate a computer tablet for travel purposes, that tablet still houses personal data that I do not want to be stolen. Like most people again, I thought using my browser password manager was enough. It is not. In 2016 a well-known browser was hacked, and people’s personal data was put at risk. Experts have weighed in that other major browsers are equally at risk for hacking. For this reason, I installed the 1Password manager tool on my computer and cell phone.
I had started down the path of taking my personal security seriously. However, after this media literacy class, I now take it even more seriously. I may not have anything to hide, but the increase of hacker attacks on everyday people has me concerned. Data breaches in 2021 are more significant than any other previous year. So far, forty-two large corporations’ systems have been hacked. Facebook and LinkedIn were hacked twice this year, in January and April. Both these attacks were within days of each other on both occasions. This alarming fact also made me take a closer look at my privacy settings on all my social media and Google accounts. Thankfully, there is an app for that. I downloaded the computer plugin MyPermissions to help with the daunting task of checking those permissions regularly. After taking these precautions, I definitely feel more secure in my online privacy and security.
