Many people remain unconvinced that they need to take extra steps or precautions to guard their data. Some feel that they have nothing to hide or that their online data isn’t important or risky enough to expose them to threats. The truth is that the aggregate amount of one person’s data that can amass over time might astonish those same individuals.
As summer approaches and travel season gears up, consider simple ways that protecting your privacy can benefit you this summer.
Be aware of your browsing history. Travel vendors frequently source individual browsing data to help determine how they set pricing for tickets and lodging. Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and opening a new browser session after clearing cookies can help prevent your searches and activity from being tracked and potentially save you money. Using a VPN will provide an encrypted tunnel for your data traffic, hide your IP address, and keep you safe from anyone looking to find information about your search or purchase history, potentially saving you money.
Consider how you use your social media accounts. If you have your account privacy settings set to “Public,” everyone can see your posts. Posting about your location can become a safety issue, and remember—even posting photos can give away your location. Not only does access to your location make it easy for anyone to find you, posts that show that you are on vacation tell people when you have left your home and possessions unattended.
Each small step you take to protect your privacy gives you more control over how information about you can be accessed and used and works to keep you cyber-safe. For more travel tips regarding privacy, check out https://www.it.northwestern.edu/security/travel.html