Tips for more data sovereignty
We register for online services with our name and address, and smartwatches measure and analyze our bodily functions. Anyone who is on the Internet and uses smart devices leaves behind traces. But there are ways to protect your privacy.
Disclosing as little data as possible about oneself is as obvious as it is difficult. After all, the business model of some companies - so-called data brokers - is based precisely on collecting as much precise information about users as possible. The most prominent example of such a data broker is the company Cambridge Analytica, which has tapped data from up to 87 million Facebook users. The company used the data to create political profiles, for example, with the aim of influencing the last presidential election in the USA.
BullGuard offers five tips to protect yourself from data brokers and regain more power over your own data:
1. question own behavior
It is not unusual for more convenience to mean less data protection. Be it online shopping, the access data stored for the e-mail account or the networked heating system. In most cases, the decision lies with the user. People should develop a healthy awareness of data protection and question the decisions they make when surfing the Internet and using smart devices. Then data brokers will have a much harder time collecting personal information.
2. use virtual private network
Pretending to be someone else and in a different place is another way to gain more data sovereignty. This can be done with the help of a virtual private network (VPN), which disguises the IP address and all Internet activity. The IP address usually transmits the physical location, time zone and language - all useful information for data brokers. Also, the operating system, the programs used and even the fonts installed are not hidden. Thus, a unique fingerprint is assigned to each computer.
A VPN disguises this information so that data brokers can no longer assign a unique address. As a result, Internet users can no longer be identified and the collected web browser data becomes virtually worthless, since it can no longer be assigned to a person.
3. install privacy badger
Privacy Badger is a plug-in for the browser. The open-source solution stops ad networks and other data collectors from tracking which pages are visited on the web. If an advertiser tracks a user across multiple websites without the user's consent, Privacy Badger automatically blocks more ads from loading in the browser. To the advertiser, this looks like the user has suddenly disappeared.
However, the plug-in does not always work. For an online purchase, for example, it sometimes needs to be disabled. Websites want to collect the data necessary for the purchase: If this is prevented, the order cannot be completed. Websites that are mainly financed by advertisements sometimes deny access completely if users have activated a plug-in that blocks advertisements.
4. heighten sensitivity to data collectors
Sweepstakes on the Internet, for example, are a popular way to obtain personal data. Even if attractive prizes are enticing, users should therefore refrain from participating. When surfing, it is also advisable to restrict yourself to encrypted pages that begin with "https" and to regularly delete your browsing history. It is also recommended to use different mail addresses and alternative search engines such as DuckDuckgo or Startpage, which automatically delete the traces when leaving the website.
5. shopping offline - with cash
If you don't want data brokers to know which medication you last needed or how much your new smartphone was worth, you should shop offline and use the tried-and-tested cash. In this case, the customer card should also remain in the wallet, because it records every purchase made.
Source: BullGuard
