Defend your data: four tips to protect your privacy online | E-news

Everything you do online generates data, but you can gain some control over how your personal information is collected, shared and used. During Data Privacy WeekInformation Technology Services, and the Office of Equity Assurance recommend that employees and students follow four simple steps to maintain online privacy:

1. Don’t overdo it on social media. By providing too much information on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, cyber criminals can steal your identity. Attackers can use your high school, hometown, or your mother’s maiden name to change passwords on financial accounts. Do not post information in the About Me fields in your profiles.

2. Browse in incognito or private mode. Change the settings so that your web browser does not save your browsing history, temporary internet files or cookies. Another alternative is to use anonymous search engines like StartPage, DuckDuckGo, and searX, which don’t collect your data like Google does.

3. Only grant access to necessary personal data. Think about the risks when an account or app asks for access to your personal data and whether you’re getting value in return. Be wary of providing information that is not directly related to the services they offer.

4. Actively manage your privacy settings. Make sure to set them up to your comfort level with new accounts and check older accounts regularly. Each device, app, or browser has different ways of limiting how and with whom you share information. Get started with recommendations about the The Manage Your Privacy Settings page of the National Cybersecurity Alliance.

ITS has more tips to Defend your data. For real-time updates on outages and other important announcements, follow @WVUITServices on Twitter or “like” WVU Information Technology on Facebook.