Privacy is of utmost importance to everyone. No one wants to share their personal details, even their browsing habits, with anyone. And users are quick to prove that they won’t tolerate questionable behavior. The finest example of users’ adverse reactions is the WhatsApp privacy policy.
The poorly explained terms of service and privacy policy led WhatsApp to a huge loss at the beginning of 2021. The release of the new update pushed users to try the available alternatives like Telegram and Signal. The user base of these apps increased tremendously after the incident. Later, the messaging giant decided to clarify the situation, but the damage was already done.
One thing is clear from this situation. People are becoming more knowledgeable about their privacy. Moreover, users are inclined to keep their data safe and free from any sort of tracking. Let’s read ahead and see how user choices are affecting online privacy.
The use of apps with end-to-end encryption
Messaging apps are the core of the communication network today. There are many messaging apps out there used by people to converse. However, all of them are not the same. Some of them have their eyes on your precious data. Hence, to ensure that your communication is secure, opt for apps that provide end-to-end encryption like Signal and Telegram.
The end-to-end encryption ensures that your messages are just visible to you and the person on the other end.
According to a Gadgets 360 report, Facebook Messenger is the app that garners the maximum data from user devices. Thus, you might consider dropping it and choosing a more private-focused provider.
VPNs are used more
VPNs are Virtual Private Networks that are a great way to keep your identity safe while browsing online. As people are becoming highly aware of their privacy, the use of VPNs has increased significantly.
As per a survey by Top10VPN, there was a massive surge of 41% in demand for commercial VPNs in the US in the second half of March. Moreover, the market of Virtual Private Networks is also at an all-time high currently. Further, it is speculated to increase and be valued at around $107.5 billion by 2027.
In short, people are using VPNs to secure their precious data. Hence, it becomes essential for you to invest in a VPN app. It will not only keep your data and personal information safe but will also make you more anonymous while browsing the web.
Opting out of third-party cookies
An opt-out cookie is another key step to keep yourself free from any unwanted advertisements. How?
Well, first off, disable third-party cookies via your browser (mostly all popular tools provide this option). Then, you will automatically reject these trackers. Please note that this will allow first-party cookies to function. These refer to the cookies belonging to the website you are visiting.
So, if you refuse third-party cookies, many online entities will get fewer chances of tracking your activities across the web.
Private Search Engine
Most of you browse the web via Google Search. Yes, they are reliable search engines, but they store a lot of your search data in their archives, which might not be something you want.
So, how to deal with this? Just like other methods, search engines are not just limited to Google or Bing. There are many other private search engines that do not store any of your data for their benefit. Some of the best ones are:
- DuckDuckGo
- MetaGer
- Qwant
And others! You can use these as they do not save your requests and populate in the advertising network. Hence, keeping you from being targeted with ads.
Ad-blockers
One of the prime ways to keep yourself from getting exposed is to prevent clicking on any unwanted or harmful ad. Hackers use this technique all the time. They curate ads that seem legitimate but attract users to a malicious website where their data can get compromised.
These ads need to be blocked, and you can do this by investing in a good ad-blocker plugin for your browser. Ad-blockers can keep you from clicking on malicious links, thus saving your precious data and time.
Final Words
To conclude, we can say that privacy is the most essential for all of us today. Hence, it is imperative to invest in the best methods to shield it. Here in this write-up, we have discussed some of the ways that people are slowly incorporating to keep them secure online. The usage of these methods has made them secure to all sorts of online threats. Hence, it is time for you to undertake all these ways.
