Every Day Should be Data Privacy Day

The threat of identity and privacy risks have always been present, but never more so than they are right now. With millions of Americans working, schooling, and even digital happy hour-ing from home, our digital footprints are off the charts. And as we continue to join digital meetings and socialize online, we have to be extra diligent about keeping our digital privacy, private.

So, in honor of one of the most sacred of holidays for all of us at IDX,
here are 12 privacy tips to help remind us all, that every day should be Data Privacy Day.

1. Use strong passwords and change your passwords frequently. (Better yet, use a password manager.)
2. Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible.
3. Turn on encryption on your mobile devices and use an encrypted flash drive to protect information in stored files.
4. If you need to work or do personal transactions over a public Wi-Fi network, use a VPN to protect your personal information and mask your identity.
5. Always browse the internet in private mode and use a “privacy first” browser to help stop criminals and others from tracking you.
6. Use an ad blocker to block pop-up advertising and ad trackers that might track you or contain malicious links.
7. Turn off location services on your devices except when an app needs to use them.
8. Use privacy settings and other social media privacy tools to protect your social media accounts and share carefully on social networks. (Ask yourself: “Would I want my boss to see this?” Because a prospective employer might.)
9. Click with care. Avoid clicking links in unsolicited email and in pop-up ads because they could link to malware.
10. Consider a privacy protection plan with data removal to delete your personal information from data broker websites.
11. Don’t download apps or content except from known, trusted websites. (Look for the “https” and the lock symbol in the URL field.)
12. Have security software on all your devices and install all software security updates promptly.

If you resolve to celebrate Data Privacy Day like all of us here at IDX, you’ll soon be on your way to a safer, more private digital life, even as you continue to live your life via online methods.

Happy Data Privacy Day from IDX and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on the latest news on scams and tips.