Increasingly, consumers and business owners are expressing their concerns about online privacy. As of 2022, 74 percent of U.S. internet users are “more concerned with their online privacy than they’ve ever been,” yet 67 percent of those users are “not aware of their country’s privacy and data protection rules.”

Why is online privacy such a big concern? And what can you do to protect your privacy online?

Why Does Online Privacy Matter?

Why does online privacy matter, anyway? After all, if you have nothing to hide, you should have nothing to fear, right?

Online privacy obviously matters to some people more than others, but it's common for people to underestimate just how much of an impact privacy can have on your life. These days, most businesses treat data as a commodity, gathering as much information as possible on as many people as possible so they can advertise more effectively or sell your data to third parties.

In other words, we live in an era where millions of participants are eager to gather as much information as possible on you and people like you.

Even so, it's just information – so it shouldn't have that much of a negative impact on you, right?

Consider the following:

·       Sensitive information. You may not care whether a company tracks which pages you visit on their website, but you should care about whether they're tracking sensitive information or data you'd prefer to keep quiet. For example, if you think you might be pregnant, and you're not yet sure, you may not be comfortable with that information leaking to other people – especially other people in your household. If a company gathers data on you, they can use that data for advertising, not just to you but to other people using your network. In some cases, this can cause massive problems. Sensitive information like credit card numbers, passwords, and more can also be jeopardized.

·       Awareness and control. It pays to be aware and in control of what's happening to you online. Regardless of what data is being tracked or how it's being used, you should take it as a personal responsibility to understand the services you're using. It's a fundamental part of being a responsible consumer.

·       Personal comfort. This factor is more subjective and may not apply to everyone, but most people are much more comfortable on a personal level if they feel their privacy is being maintained. If organizations and individuals all over the world know who you are and what you do online, it can be unsettling.

How to Protect Your Online Privacy

So what steps can you take to protect your online privacy?

·       Be wary of your partners. Whether you’re signing up for a new social media app or signing a contract with a Corpus Christi SEO firm, it’s important to know who you’re working with. Before using any new products, enlisting the help of any new services, partnering with any organizations, or even using a website extensively, you should understand who these partners are and how they operate. Are they committed to protecting your online privacy? Do they have documentation to prove they have acceptable privacy standards in place?

·       Keep your passwords secure. Some of the most sensitive pieces of personal information you have are your passwords, so keep those passwords as secure as possible. For starters, you should choose passwords that are long, complex, and made up of a diverse mix of different characters. You should also use a different password for each platform and store your passwords in a secure way that no one else can access.

·       Read the privacy policies. It's tempting to blitz past the privacy policies you're forced to read and simply click “okay,” but it's much better for you if you actually read those policies. You may uncover some unsettling details about what this company can do with your personal data. If you don't have time to read the full privacy policy, at least skim the most important sections and see if any other individuals or organizations have done a deeper dive that you can review.

·       Check your privacy settings. Take the time to look at your privacy settings and adjust them to your liking. Most social media platforms and apps have tools that consumers can use to limit how their data is used.

·       Post less. Here's another social media tip: post less often. Every time you create a new post, engage with another post, or leave a comment, the data is being tracked and stored. The less you engage, the less data there is to worry about.

·       Monitor your physical devices. Never leave your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other physical device unattended in public.

·       Keep devices and software updated. Cybercriminals love exploiting old bugs that have been made public. Fortunately, most developers are quick to issue patches to correct these bugs – but you must install those patches to gain their benefits.

·       Use only trusted Wi-Fi networks. Public Wi-Fi networks are a privacy nightmare, so use them sparingly (or avoid them altogether).

·       Reject cookies. Many websites use tracking cookies to keep tabs on your behavior as a user, but to maintain compliance with privacy laws, most of those websites ask for your permission before using tracking cookies. In most cases, these cookies are innocuous, but it's a good idea to reject cookies if you don't trust the website collecting them.

·       Delete whatever you’re not using. Take a moment to delete any data you're not using. There's no use making it available to more interested parties.

·       Invest in a VPN. Finally, consider investing in a virtual private network (VPN) – a tool that can help you increase your privacy by establishing a secure connection.

Online privacy remains a serious matter for individuals and organizations all over the world, and the topic is only going to become more significant from here. If you want to keep your information safe and feel more comfortable, it's on you to treat your online privacy with resolve.