How to Protect Your Digital Life in a Surveillance World
An approach to privacy online is critical to your online security. By managing app permissions, implementing ad blockers, and limiting exposure to surveillance, you can limit how much your life can be monitored by third-parties.
Surveillance has become deeply embedded into both technology and society, from terrorist technologies and wartime practices, through to marketing practices like Zuboff's surveillance capitalism.
1. Don’t Give Out Your Personal Information
Like you would secure an expensive car in a garage, jewelry in a safe or the title to your home with a safety deposit box, digital security should also be treated like any other physical asset. Consider what information you share online such as name, email address, date of birth, bank account numbers and passwords with strangers -- the more personal data thieves or scammers possess the easier it is for them to break into your accounts, steal identity or use financial data fraudulently.
While some may claim they have nothing to hide, everyone needs something protected - even if that means just their reputation. As COVID-19 forces people into living much of their lives online, distancing themselves from data-hungry digital monopolies becomes even more crucial.
2. Turn Off Your Internet-Connected Devices
Your average home contains at least six connected devices - whether that's an iPad, video game console, smart speaker or security camera - that connect to the Internet.
Keep your devices powered up and online at all times to increase the risk of hackers accessing them and stealing valuable data like passwords, bank records or even live camera feeds from these devices. Furthermore, this connection leaves your devices more open to cyberbullies as well as making it harder for parents to monitor their children's social media use.
Continued exposure to electronic devices can also result in long-term health concerns, including eye strain and sleep disorders, while shortening its lifespan bit by bit each time it powers back up. Many wireless routers and computers feature settings to disable Internet access at night in order to reduce energy costs and enhance network security; additional devices often come equipped with built-in parental controls which can limit usage while helping your children develop healthy habits.
3. Lock Your Devices
Modern devices are tempting targets for thieves, which is why physical security should always be top of mind. Locking down your laptop, tablet, and smartphone is one simple step that can protect both its contents and data in the event of theft.
Hackers want your data for personal gain or sale; ransomware attacks take this one step further by hosting devices hostage until a ransom payment is made. Meanwhile advertisers, third-party companies, and intelligence agencies likewise collect personal information - the National Security Agency is particularly adept at doing this through collecting data from routers, switches, and firewalls to gather intelligence on you and your household members.
