Data Privacy Awareness
Data Privacy Day was initiated by the Council of Europe in 2007 and is currently observed in the US, Canada, Israel and 47 European countries. Its main purpose is to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the privacy of personal information online. Below you can find some useful information on how to keep your cyber-life secure.
Is your password strong enough?
Despite many risks, most people still use simple and popular passwords. Just look at the top 5 most common passwords of 2019:
- 123456
- 123456789
- qwerty
- password
- 1234567
Do these passwords look familiar? Yes? It's a bad answer! A strong password is a „must have" these days. If you don't how to keep your password secure you can just use one of many Password Managers.
Be aware of what you share
We all now Social Media can be fun. Chatting with colleagues from work, meeting old friends from school, bonding with family members from around the world… It's all great until you share something you shouldn't have to, for example a photo of plane tickets with your name on it. Cybercriminals wait for something like this. They know when you will be out of town and for how long so all they they need to know is where do you live. Remember this shared photo of you and your friends outside your house a month ago? Yep, that's it. Now they have it all. Also, be careful with sharing photos with other people in it. They may not like it. Always ask for permission to share a photo, no matter what.
Think over your privacy settings
Does every app on your phone needs to know your exact location? Also, rethink whether it is a good idea to give an app permission to post on your social media accounts on your behalf. Every app and a website have their own list of options and configuration menu where you can simply adjust your settings. Do you stay logged into your favorite websites for weeks at a time? More than 30% of people don't lock their computer or a phone, it's just a matter of time when somebody get access to your bank account.
Data Privacy Day is once a year but you must be conscious of your personal data all year long. Don't take everything for granted, check all settings twice! Change your passwords to stronger ones and always lock your computer and a phone. Be safe online!
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