How to stay safe online

What are your top tips? Here are mine:
-Always use a (paid, trusted) VPN that doesn’t keep logs
-Virus scan your computer
-Switch off data sharing/app access in Facebook and Google
-Use two-factor authentication for all the accounts that you can
-Use different, strong passwords all over the internet
-Use a “safe” browser (Firefox?)

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Tin foil hat :+1:

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Lol yeah I’ve got mine

I do not go online so I am safe

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I do not go outside, so I am safe.

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  • VPN doesn’t make much difference IMO. Someone, somewhere is still seeing what you’re doing.
  • Virus scan, yes. Better still, use reputable websites and don’t download dodgy files!
  • Data sharing/app access disabling will only stop so much! Remember that apps themselves collect info.
  • MFA everything you can. https://twofactorauth.org/
  • 100% different passwords for every site. Get a password manager, generate them randomly.
  • No browser is ‘safe’. Out of interest, why would you say Firefox is ‘safer’ than anything else?

The most important piece of security apparatus is the bit between the keyboard and the chair.

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100%. PEBCAK.

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Yep. I had to explain it to lots of IT people at work. Which was weird.

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I agree with most of what you said, but not this. If you use an independently audited VPN, it’s much safer than leaving your data to be freely intercepted. Of course, how easy it is to intercept will depend on the network your using: free cafe wifi vs 4G.

The Firefox thing was to avoid Google connecting the dots. It’s also open source.

A VPN isn’t a big deal, you may only really need it for very specific use cases.

One of the best things you can do to stay safe online is keep your computer and applications up to date; Use a password manager and MFA where appropriate; and backup your data.

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Kinda like PICNIC

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If only it was that easy!

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Of course - but I’d argue it’s no more safer than using HTTPS. Everything is compromisable, and if the VPN you’re using is compromised then it’s pointless.

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Even better!

This. Data backups all day long.

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Google collects the info anyway, there not bound by browser. And being open source doesn’t necessarily make something more secure.

Of all the things you can do, VPN is low on the list though. The fact is its not needed for most people. There’s small use-cases where it makes more sense, but for the vast majority of people here, its not really needed. A VPN is another layer on a set of already used security functions, and when you add on top that it costs money, there’s few if any reason to use one in the real world (despite what VPN operators might want you to think).

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They’re not collecting the data if you’re using Firefox on iOS (unless you logged in to Google somewhere and enabled cookies).

Apps still send data back. Technology companies share data for :dollar:

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Google is everywhere on the internet. If you access this forum with Firefox on iOS, Google knows its you because this forum is running Google analytics to track users for example. The browser isnt doing the tracking, its every site you go to and every search you make sends data back to google. You don’t need to be logged in.