Wondering how to protect your privacy online in 2025? You’re in the right place. Read on for our top tips to keep your personal details and sensitive information safe from identity theft, phishing scams and more.
Have you ever felt like your personal information is at arm’s reach from a cybercriminal? Unfortunately, you’re probably right to feel like that.
Identity theft, phishing scams and other online crimes are on the rise. In 2023, more than 880,400 internet scam complaints were received, resulting in $12.5 billion in losses.
Phishing, personal data breaches, extortion and identity theft fall within the top eight types of internet crimes reported. Phishing makes up the highest percentage of internet scams, and there were 298,878 phishing complaints reported in 2023. Online accounts, including your social media profiles, are more vulnerable than you would expect.
Many hacks even go unnoticed for a long time — until it’s too late, of course.
The good news is that there are many ways to protect your online privacy, including password managers and private-browsing software.
With years of experience working with businesses and individuals to protect their online privacy and digital reputation, we’re here to share the best ways to keep your personal details and financial information safe online.
NetReputation provides information and services to help you protect your digital presence. Call us at 844-461-3632 to learn more, or fill out the contact form below for a free consultation.
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Limit How Much Information You Post to Social Media
In this digital age, everyone wants to be on the trendiest and most current social platform.
First, we saw the emergence of MySpace. Years later, we saw Facebook become open to everyone. Now we have X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more at our disposal.
When it comes to social media platforms, it’s crucial to learn how to protect your privacy online before your information falls into the wrong hands.
If you’re new to social media, it’s important to carefully read the terms of service of each platform. Many complain about retargeting efforts — which is when you see ads based on your behavior on search engines — and feeling that their personal information is at risk.
When creating your social profiles, avoid listing personal details like your phone number, email, or birthday. Entering personal information opens a gateway for identity theft and other consequences when criminals gain access to your personal information.
Instead, keep the information you post on your social profiles surface-level. You can still show off your personality and interests without giving away sensitive information.
Don’t Give Personal Information to People You Don’t Know
If someone you know and trust wants your phone number, address, or other private information, they can ask you directly for it. Otherwise, strangers and random people you meet online shouldn’t have access to information they could potentially use against you.
There are many enticing offers out there promising free gifts or trials in exchange for your personal information. But handing over your name, email address or phone number shouldn’t be done without a second thought.
Unless you’re highly interested in an offer, skip it. And if you’re very intrigued by a giveaway or freebie, use a disposable email address or phone number instead of your actual information.
You can also create a second email address that’s separate from your primary email address and use the new one for marketing signups. This way, your primary inbox won’t be flooded with unsolicited emails.
While many websites can be trusted, you can never be 100% sure that the site you’re on won’t sell your information without your permission. It pays to go the extra mile to protect yourself by using contact information that can’t be traced back to you or abused.
Keep this in mind, though: Often, the information that brands collect is for marketing purposes. If you’re very interested in hearing about new products or services, and if you completely trust the company and the website, you can decide for yourself if it’s worth it to provide your actual contact information.
Protect Your Computer Files
Have you ever purchased a computer from Best Buy or another technology store? There is a reason why they always try to upsell security protection software for your computer.
Most individuals believe that security protection is not such a big deal. They also think their computers will be unharmed as long as they visit protected websites and ensure safe browsing practices.
As good as this sounds, it’s not true.
Antivirus software can detect and remove malware, schedule recurring scans, identify threats before they occur, and block you from accessing malicious websites that you may have visited otherwise.
Use Incognito Browsers
Incognito browsers let you use search engines without embedding cookies on your computer. Once you close the session, the browser won’t store your online activity. This can mask your identity, which protects you from online scams and targeted advertising.
Using an incognito browser is often as easy as opening up a new page in incognito mode. On Google Chrome, you can go to File > New Incognito Window, and a private browsing window will show up. You use Google Search the same exact way you usually do.
According to DataReportal, in the U.S., almost 40% of internet users are worried about how companies use their personal data online. Incognito browser windows can be a huge help when you’re shopping online or visiting any number of websites.
Never Use the Same Password Twice
This may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many individuals use the same password for every online account.
Why is this bad?
For starters, if you give out your password and get hacked, the cybercriminals will now have access to all of your online accounts that use that same password.
You can safely store your passwords online using a password manager from a company you trust. PCMag has a helpful list of top-rated ones here.
If you’d rather not use a dedicated service, keep an up-to-date Excel or Google spreadsheet in an encrypted file on your computer to store all your passwords.
Additionally, there are various password generators that will generate strong passwords for you so you’re not tempted to reuse an old one or set one that’s too easy for hackers to guess.
Set Up Two-Factor Authentication for Your Accounts
While searching on your preferred web browser, there are various tools at your disposal to confirm if it is actually you logging into any of the accounts that you own.
Facebook, for example, allows its users to implement two-factor authentication. This basically sends you an SMS or text message every time you attempt to log in, prompting you with a 6-digit access code.
Without entering this code into your computer, you will be unable to visit that website or social platform.
Two-factor authentication typically changes the 6-digit code every 30-60 seconds to ensure further security measures just in case someone is watching you.
Utilize Google Alerts
If you read our blog articles often, you are probably already aware of the massive benefits that come from using Google Alerts. This easy-to-implement tool by Google allows you to track keywords online. Google Alerts covers all search engine tools and social network platforms, too.
This is a great way to find out whenever your name or private information is used online.
We highly recommend that you head over to Google Alerts now, sign up with your Gmail account, and track your full name. This way, anytime something new is published on the internet referencing your name, you will receive an email notification immediately.
Enable Privacy Settings on Social Platforms
It may come as a no-brainer that you would want to turn on the privacy settings for all the social media accounts that you manage. Many sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, allow users to request access to view the content you publish.
There are a number of reasons to keep your social media profiles private:
- Avoid online harassment
- Control your digital footprint
- Maintain a positive digital reputation
- Prevent identity theft
- Protect your personal information
You can take control of your online reputation, whether you’re working on your personal reputation or your professional digital presence. Call us at 844-461-3632 for more information.
Set Security Q&As That Are Difficult To Guess
Many sites have a security feature that requires you to set security questions and answers in order to log in. Often, these questions are simple details about your life that you can easily remember, like the name of your first childhood pet or the city where you were born.
However, if a cybercriminal already knows the answers to these questions, they’ll have an easy time logging into your account.
A great strategy is to pick the most out-there questions and then set completely ridiculous answers.
For example, instead of selecting a security question that a hacker could easily know the answer to, like, “What is your mother’s maiden name” choose one that’s more random, like “What is your oldest cousin’s middle name?” Then, set a nonsensical answer, like “Red Robin” or “Kaboom.”
Keep an encrypted document with the answers to your security questions so you don’t have to remember all of them.
Connect to WiFi the Smart Way
Once you’ve connected to a specific WiFi router, you can easily auto-connect to that router again in the future, even if you haven’t been back to that place for several months or years (assuming the password hasn’t changed).
This is convenient because, when it comes to places you visit often or you’re own home, you wouldn’t want to enter the WiFi password every time you want to connect.
However, since there are a lot of unsafe WiFi networks out there that let people access your sensitive information, remove them from your lists of networks so your device won’t auto-connect the next time you’re in the area.
Additionally, a common scheme is for hackers to create malicious WiFi accounts with enticing names like “Free WiFi” to encourage people to connect. Never connect to WiFi you’re unfamiliar with, and try to avoid connecting to a WiFi network when you’re in public by turning off WiFi on your device.
Shred Mail That Contains Sensitive Information
Sometimes, the easiest way to gain access to someone’s personal information, such as their banking records or Social Security number, is to go through their trash. Yes, this sounds gross and disgusting, but you would be surprised at how often it happens.
This is why everyone should invest in a quality document shredder. Whenever you have a document that has personal information, shred it before you throw it out. Having your private information fall into the wrong hands is a recipe for disaster.
At NetReputation, we work with individuals and businesses to help them build and take control of their online reputation. Give us a call at 844-461-3632 to learn more.
Monitor Your Child’s Online Activity
If you have children, are you properly supervising their internet habits? Do you keep tabs on the websites they visit and who they communicate with online?
There are a lot of monitoring tools you can use online to track every click your child makes and ensure they are not putting personal information or themselves at risk.
Parental control software can also set screen time limits and block certain content that’s inappropriate for their age.
Cover Your Laptop and Mobile Device Cameras
Cybercriminals are able to hack into a laptop or mobile device’s camera and watch you or record video — all without you even realizing it. By covering the camera, you can prevent them from spying on you, even if they’ve already hacked in.
There are small covers that you can buy online for this purpose, or you can simply cover the cameras with a small piece of masking tape.
While you won’t be able to prevent hackers from conducting audio surveillance on you, covering the cameras will give you a little bit of extra peace of mind.
Use a Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network (VPN) creates an encrypted, secure connection between your device and the web. When you active a VPN, it connects to a server in a different location from you. This way, hackers can’t tell where you are located geographically based on the server location.
Additionally, VPNs encrypt data so that it can’t be intercepted and accessed.
In the U.S., more than 25% of internet users use a virtual private network (VPN) for some of their online activities, and worldwide, that percentage increases to more than 28%.
Only Visit HTTPS Sites
Lastly, when looking for how to protect privacy online, make sure you only access safe and secure websites.
How do you know if a website is secured?
In the address bar at the top of the screen, you can see the web address. If the website is secured, it will show https followed by the domain name. When a website is unsecured, you will see http instead of https, followed by the domain name.
“HTTPS” stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. This is a combination of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) and a security authentication (S).
Note that Google Chrome will often display the words “not secured” when you are on a website without a security authentication.
Let NetReputation Help With Your Online Presence
At NetReputation, we provide a broad range of services to individuals and businesses who want to create, grow or repair their digital reputation. Whether you’re prioritizing your personal or professional online reputation, our solutions and team of experts can help.
Our ORM services include content removal, review management, branding, content creation and more. It’s time to take back control of how people perceive you online so you can attract the opportunities you deserve.
Get started today with a free consultation with one of our experts. Call us at 844-461-3632 or fill out the contact form below.
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by Net Reputation