In today’s modern world, the Internet has become an essential part of our lives. We all use smartphones, computers, laptops, and many other Internet-based devices. In fact, most organizations and enterprises run on the web. If you own an email ID or have profiles on different social networks, then you should know about that digital identity of yours. In this article, we have also covered how you can protect yourself while using the web.
What is Digital Identity?
Digital Identity contains different types of information about the person. The information gathered from social networks, emails, and other profiles created by Internet users online. You can safeguard your digital identity with the help of a reliable identity protection service.
If we talk about the present era, we use different types of services through our smartphones that ask for our personal information. Personal information of a person contains email ID, full name, contact number, address, date of birth, medical history, and more.
Since most of us have started using online services through mobile apps and computer systems, it is important for each one of us to know about the privacy of our personal identity.
How Do You Protect Your Digital Identity?
Most offices and home offices are based on the web. Modern employees work online from anywhere without needing to be in a large physical office. You can protect your small office at home with a good security for SoHo service that offers protection against any threats.
Before we jump on to the list of what to do to protect your digital identity, here we will show you how your digital identity gets exposed in the first place. This will help you to keep yourself safe if you are aware of these issues while exploring the web.
How your Digital Identity Exposed?
- Using unauthorized websites
- Using non-secured networks
- Using public wi-fi
- Weak passwords
- Data theft through third-party apps
- Adding unknown profiles to your friends’ list
These are the ways one can expose his personal identity i.e. personal information. Now, let’s see how you can protect yourself online so that no one can steal your information.
Ways to Safeguard Digital Identity
1.Use Security Software
Reliable security software must be used by every individual. There are different types of antivirus software and other security apps available on the market. These apps and tools are designed for all types of professionals and home users. If you spend most of your time online, then you should start searching for reliable security software for your computer system and mobile phone.
2. Use Two-factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is by far the most secure way of logging into your profiles. Unlike entering a direct password, you will be asked to authenticate your identity on a different device. You can use Password Keys, Digital Codes, Fingerprint, Face recognition, and many other methods. You can also use anti-tracking software to protect your privacy and location from hackers.
3. Use Password Manager
Managing passwords for your social network profiles and other profiles is important. Make sure you safeguard your email id first as it is the primary source of all the profiles that are available on the web. You should keep your passwords strong in order to safeguard your digital identity.
If you do not have strong passwords, your profiles might get hacked, which can land you in trouble. Always use a password manager tool or any other way with which you can remember your strong passwords.
4. Use an External Drive for Data
Most web users are now using cloud-based storage services for storing different types of data while working on the web. Cloud storage services are quite popular as they offer flexibility and ease of use for every individual.
If you are storing your personal photos over the cloud, we recommend you to use an external drive for data storage. All financial documents, personal documents, and other important documents must be kept on a separate external drive.
5. Avoid Using Public Wi-Fi
Your personal data or digital identity can be breached when you connect your smartphone or laptop to a public wi-fi network. If you do not have a second choice, then we recommend you use a VPN service.
When you use a VPN service, you can keep your system’s identity and location hidden from hackers. This will give you an extra layer of security while using public Wi-Fi. VPN services encrypt everything which is why they keep your digital identity safe. Public Wi-Fi should be avoided if you have other options to use the web.
Conclusion:
This is what you might want to know about the digital identity of a web user. We have listed down all the useful methods to protect your digital identity and private documents. The ways of how your identity gets exposed are also listed so that you can simply avoid using these services in the future.