{"id":166183,"date":"2023-04-05T03:16:56","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T10:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=166183"},"modified":"2024-11-21T05:46:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T13:46:24","slug":"how-you-may-be-sharing-private-information-online-without-even-knowing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/how-you-may-be-sharing-private-information-online-without-even-knowing\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Stop Sharing Private Information Online"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I started my job as Cybermum \u2013 over 10 years ago \u2013 it was quite common to strategise ways to prevent your private information appearing online. But those days have long gone. Unless you have been living off the grid and opted out of life completely, having an online presence is now essential. Whether you\u2019re paying bills, booking appointments or renewing your insurance premiums, many companies have made it almost impossible to conduct your business in person, forcing even the most reluctant of us online.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, many of us consider ourselves to be proactive in managing just what we share online by using VPNs, not always setting up accounts with online stores and ensuring our social media privacy settings are nice and tight. But unfortunately, managing your privacy online is more complicated than that. In fact, most of us maybe sharing our private information online every day without even knowing. So, in the spirit of keeping you safe \u2013 here are three different areas that I suggest you focus on to ensure you know exactly where you are sharing your private information<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Your Everyday Browsing<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Every time you visit an online site, send an email, search for information or basically do anything online, multiple parties collect this information. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP), Wi-Fi network administrator, operating system e.g. Windows or iOS, search engine plus the websites and apps you use will all keep a record of what\u2019s you\u2019re up to \u2013 even if you are in Incognito Mode!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This information is often gathered using cookies \u2013 small files that are placed on your device by the website that you visit. These are created whenever you visit a website, and they contain data about your visit. Some websites are required by law to advise you if and when they use cookies but if you choose to reject cookies, your browsing experience can become really clunky.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What each of these parties does with your private information varies. Your ISP, for example, can easily put together a pretty accurate profile based on your searching, location and downloads and link this to your IP (unique) address. This data can be held for years \u2013 subject to your country\u2019s laws and could potentially be used for surveillance, policing and even advertising.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I appreciate that my ISP is required to collect information for the greater good but I am far less comfortable when search engines, websites and apps collect my private data. Since the <\/span>Cambridge Analytica Scandal<\/span><\/a> of 2018, the industry has definitely had a shake-up however this can still be a risky business.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Stay Safe<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n