8 Privacy Tips to Stay Safe in 2020

Recently, news of record privacy fines, massive data breaches and election interference on social media have plastered the headlines. Web/social media companies are increasingly collecting our personal data and selling/sharing it with advertisers, politicians and other entities who use it to covertly manipulate our votes and purchase decisions in the business model known as surveillance capitalism — and this will only increase in 2020.

I’m here to let you know there is good news: you can still enjoy all the best features the web has to offer while staying safe and protecting your privacy. Check out these 8 privacy tips for you to stay safe in 2020.

1. Enjoy Awesome Social Media with Privacy by Design — Join MeWe!

MeWe is the only social network with all the features people love and a Privacy Bill of Rights, guaranteeing you have total control of your data, newsfeeds, and your privacy. No ads, no targeting, no facial recognition, no election interference, and no newsfeed manipulation. Member data is #Not4Sale to advertisers/marketers. Available in 19 languages worldwide, MeWe has millions of members and is growing rapidly.

2. Say Goodbye to Google and Hello to DuckDuckGo

Every time you search for information on Google, Google searches for information on you. It tracks the searches you make and the links you click. It stores your IP address and personal information, building a history of your web activity and then sharing/selling your data to advertisers and unknown third-parties. Switch out Google for a privacy-focused search engine like DuckDuckGo that has no tracking and no ad targeting. With DuckDuckGo, you can keep your search history private, and avoid having your personal data collected and shared.

3. Cover Your Webcams to Prevent Unwanted Watchers

If you’re worried about being unwittingly watched through your webcam, you’re not paranoid. There have been countless cases in which webcams have been hacked, and there is a thriving black market for illicitly acquired photos and videos. Recently, Facebook was even caught accessing the cameras of users’ iPhones as they scrolled on their feeds. Former FBI Director James Comey recommended everyone cover their webcams, and even Mark Zuckerberg covers his. It’s not just your laptops and smartphones you should be wary of — Consumer Reports found that millions of Smart TVs are vulnerable to being compromised by hackers, too.

4. Stop Trackers in Their Tracks with Disconnect

As you browse the web, many of the websites you visit may be tracking you without your knowledge. Free yourself from unwanted tracking and take control of your personal information by using Disconnect. Available on desktop and mobile, Disconnect enables you to visualize and block the invisible sites that track your search and browsing history.

5. Evade Eavesdroppers by Uninstalling Facebook and FB Messenger

Have you ever mentioned a product in conversation with a friend, and then found you’re suddenly bombarded with ads on Facebook for that product? You’re not alone. This uncannily common phenomenon has prompted users worldwide to question if Facebook is listening in on their offline conservations. While Facebook has denied it, journalists at Vox showed that not all these coincidences can be explained. Even if Facebook isn’t directly listening to your verbal conversations, its other methods of eavesdropping are arguably just as invasive. Facebook tracks your locations, social connections, and activities both on and off its site. It scans your messages and was even caught collecting data on call and text history outside of Facebook Messenger. On August 6, Apple announced it would restrict a feature that allowed Messenger — and WhatsApp — to keep their voice calling features running in the background when not in use. Apple cited privacy concerns in its announcement, as both apps have been able to collect data through this feature. On December 20, it was reported that information on 267 million Facebook users, including their names and phone numbers, was exposed online. Whoa!

6. Protect Your Passwords with LastPass

If you want to create a password that you can remember, use four random words. The author and scientific theorist Randall Munroe showed that this type of password could, on average, take 550 years at 1,000 guesses a second to discover. If you want a centralized place to safely store your passwords, use a password manager like LastPass. These often require finger identification or multi-factor authentication to log in, and come with an automatic password generator tool.

7. Defend your Data by Deleting WhatsApp

While WhatsApp has claimed that it does not surveil your messages, the company has been fined numerous times for privacy transgressions. This includes the $122 million fine by the EU after WhatsApp was caught sharing personal data with Facebook after its acquisition. Even as WhatsApp encrypts messages, it still tracks your metadata, including your locations and who you are communicating with. In May, WhatsApp was hacked and an unknown number of users had spyware installed on their phones. As mentioned in tip #5, WhatsApp has been able to collect data by keeping its voice-calling feature running even when it’s not in use. In August, Apple announced it would restrict this feature due to privacy concerns.

8. Surf the Web Safely with Brave or Tor

Browsers like Chrome and Safari may offer an “Incognito” mode, but this still doesn’t prevent websites from tracking your browsing activity. To stay anonymous, use untraceable web browsers like Brave or Tor, which prevent tracking and surveillance. These browsers connect to different relays as you surf the web, wiping their tracks along the way.

With countless data breaches and record privacy fines making the headlines, it’s natural to be concerned. People by the millions are waking up to the importance of data privacy and control, and are taking actions that align with these values. Follow these 8 steps to enjoy the best features of the web, with the respect, control, data privacy and safety we all deserve!

Mark Weinstein is a world-renowned privacy expert and the founder of MeWe, the award-winning social network with a Privacy Bill of Rights and the №1 Trending Social Site.

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