Want to share? Well, I have conditions.

Privacy online. It’s definitely a concern of mine, but there are several things that I do to help avoid any mishaps or over-sharing which may make me vulnerable. I use the Internet roughly 8-12 hours every day, so taking precaution is definitely a priority. Here are some things that I do to help prevent an invasion of my privacy online. While these tips may seem really straight forward, it’s kind of amazing how many people actually are not mindful of the small actions they can take to protect themselves.
 
Avoid public computers and if you can’t, make sure you clear it of all your information before logging off.
Occasionally I head on down to Kinko’s for printing and I’ll use their public computers. Even though they explicitly note that they clear their computer of all cookies, downloaded files, and settings when someone logs off I make sure to do that manually just in case. So before you log off a public computer, if you downloaded a document onto a public computer, delete it. If you browsed the Internet, clear the cache and the history. It’s that simple. And if you can wait until you’re at home to purchase something online – then wait.
 
Don’t share private information that’s not necessary.
We’ve all heard about it – the photos from Vegas or videos from Ibiza that made it online. Let’s not forget the profile description which got someone in hot water. We have to stop being so naïve about what we put out on the Internet. If you don’t want the whole world knowing, then don’t share it online. I understand that there are “privacy” settings that can limit who sees what. But there is nothing wrong with being conservative and not sharing to begin with.
 
Now, I know that we share demographic and user tracking data with sites. This brings me to…
 
Avoid “sketchy” sites.
Almost all for-profit sites online track you. That’s just the reality of the online business model. It allows them to sell ads and sponsorships to companies that want to market to you – it’s the reason why such large sites and services like Facebook are free, because they can make a whole lot of money another way other than charging a service fee.
Because of this, I limit my profiles and purchases to larger sites that I know put time, effort and money into Internet security. Facebook has come under a lot of scrutiny because of its recent practices and the large market share they control. While Google rules the browser war, Facebook is king of social media. Here’s the thing though – I don’t have to have a Facebook account. But because I do, I have to play by their rules. And to be honest, their rules aren’t that bad when compared to what they could do with all the user data they have stored. Do I fully trust Facebook? Not really. But I trust them enough to still have an account. And I'm skeptical enough to share with caution. I also trust Amazon and PayPal. I try to avoid sites with pop-ups, lots of ads (more tracking), and let’s face it – most of us can spot a “sketchy” site. Just avoid them.
 
Avoid sharing your personal computer.
Admit it, you probably have passwords, settings, and a ton of preferences stored on your personal computer. Why would you share it? It would be like passing around your wallet full of cash and credit cards in public. We just don’t do it. If you have to share a computer make sure you have different user accounts so you don’t have to share information across users.
 
Create solid passwords.
Passwords are a pain. I get it. But we have to stop making them so easy to guess. Take the advice that many sites give you – use upper and lowercase letters, and if you can, add punctuation. If you need to, write down your password on a piece of paper and store it somewhere safe. It’s a hassle to create complicated passwords, but it’s an even greater hassle when your account gets hacked and you have to deal with the consequences.