The following simple steps should protect your private life in public places such as Facebook, twitter and in your mobile phones.
1. If your mobile phone is not password protected it is easy for anyone to check your text messages and your contact details. Protect your mobile phone with a password.
2. Put a Google alert on your name. It is very easy to get a alert if someone is searching on your name. Use this link for it. http://www.google.com/alerts
3. Signout from your Facebook , email etc when you are using computers in internet cafe’s. Also make sure there are no web camera’s that are recording you and your keystrokes at internet cafe’s.
4. Have one private email account for your close friends and one for public use and don’t register to all kinds of job portals etc. They only result in more spam. Don’t give away your phone numbers or email address in malls, shopping complex lucky coupons or promotional events etc. It will result in more marketing calls and spam
5. Encrypt your computer from unlawful access when you are online. Use this link to know more about how to do it. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766295%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
6. Gmail users should use 2 step authentication to ensure their emails from hacking while using mobile phone for gmail access
7.Don’t use your credit card at every place. There is a possibility of identity theft while your card is swiped . Try paying in cash for your purchases or services where ever it is possible. Monitor your bank transactions and alert messages to make sure your card is not misused.
8. Change your Facebook settings to “friends Only” in settings. https://www.facebook.com/login.php?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsettings%2F%3Ftab%3Dprivacy
9.Clear your browser history and cookies on a regular basis to protect your email and passwords etc. Go to your browser options and tell it to never remember your browsing history. For Mozilla firefox users you can also use the following add on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/targeted-advertising-cookie-op/
10. Whenever you visit a website your Computer address (IP) is tracked. To avoid being tracked you can hide your IP (your computer address) by using the following tool. https://www.torproject.org/
