3 steps that helped me protect my digital identity & privacy 🔐

Why should you think twice before sharing anything online?

Imagine going about your day, and suddenly, you get a notification about a login attempt to your social media account, and it's definitely not you!

I’ve totally been there before. Social media is fun until it isn't.

I had a few other experiences that really opened my eyes to how at-risk we all are online.

In today’s digital world, knowing how to protect your online identity and privacy is a must.

Digital identity is all the information about you that’s out there online.

Some of this information can be your:

• Name

• Email address

• Driver’s license number

Like most people, I use the Internet for everyday things like ordering food, shopping, paying bills, and — you guessed it right — social media.

In fact, more than half of the world's population uses social media. The graph below shows the rise in users over time.

Infographic courtesy of Sayrahervia via Wikimedia Commons. To hear an audio description of the infographic, click the play button on the audio player below.

Social media can put your personal data at risk, without you even noticing it.

Be mindful of the data you share to keep you safe from privacy issues like apps tracking your location, people stealing your identity, and trolls spreading false information.

There are also scams and fraud cases that have started from social media contact.

Take the following steps to protect your digital identity!

How many articles, videos, podcasts, and discussion groups have you visited online?

Your digital footprint is all the information that you create by using the internet for any activities.

When I started to list all my accounts, I was shocked to see how much personal information I shared online! I deleted old, unnecessary accounts and made small changes to my online behavior.

Like me, you can take these small actions to limit and manage your online information:

• Go ahead and Google yourself and check out all the search results.

• List all your socials and all other accounts you made for emails, forums, and shopping sites.

• Review your content and privacy settings and fix everything about you that seems off.

Do you have that one password for almost all of your accounts (because it's easier to remember)?

Time to make a change!

I started to ditch passwords that are easy to guess and switched to unique and complex ones for each individual accounts.

If this seems like a lot, you can use a password manager to keep everything safe.

I also used two-factor authentication (2FA) just to double that layer of protection.

Now, I have peace of mind by knowing what things I can control to protect myself.

What do you do when an app or a website asks for access?

Think carefully before you hit that "Allow" button!

Now, I make sure to:

• Regularly check your privacy settings

• Deny app permissions that don't make sense

• Read more about phishing scams and fake websites

Stay informed and updated. You'll thank yourself.

70% of people using the internet around the world have taken steps to protect their digital identity.

You can do it too!