No, it is not paranoid of you to want to become invisible online, it is just something you need to mostly do for the sake of security. Because of how much things have changed, now it is extremely easy for anyone from any part of the world to just google your name and get as much information as there is about you.
While this may seem harmless, it can be very dangerous most especially for someone who updates his complete daily activities on social media. What is more is that even when you delete somethings including your emails, they are still available somewhere on the internet on different servers.
Among the things that make you visible online are the emails you send and receive, which even when you delete, could still be pulled out, the things you write on social media, the comments you make on other websites, and even the information you supply sites that you provide your information.
Things that can be gotten about you online
- Your personal information including your bio-data and educational status.
- Where you are surfing from.
- The sites you are visiting and those you have visited.
- The conversations and emails you have exchanged
- Your pictures and your family members.
- Where you have been to and sometimes, the things you are doing when you write them on social media.
- There are many more things that can be known about you on social media.
The truth of the matter is that you can hardly be able to go completely invisible, but you can make it extremely hard for anyone trying to find anything about you to succeed.
Here are ways to become invisible online:
1. Take advantage of Privacy Settings
Every browser you make use of comes with its privacy settings. Even though most people do not adjust these settings to limit how they are seen on the internet, it is very important for you to do that. Another thing you get with most browsers is the Incognito and Private feature that makes it hard for anyone to track you on the internet. It will also make it very hard for other websites to get your browsing information.
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You can also make privacy settings that will suit your needs on sites that you visit most such as Facebook and other social networking sites. You will need to constantly review your privacy settings.
2. Stop giving access to third-parties to access your accounts
This is most especially on social media sites like Facebook where people allow third parties to access their information and tell them things about themselves like who their top friends are, who they are supposed to end with, how they got their names, and things like that.
In an attempt to do this, they gain access to knowing your activities on the social media, those you chat with most frequently, the types of chats you have, shared images, and much more. More so, with emails, allowing your emails to be scanned for malware allows your files to be read online before you even get to open it.
The most important thing is to avoid things like the Harry Porter Character that you are, your team, and other Facebook quizzes.
According to Better Business Bureau (BBB), “Many of these Facebook applications, or apps, fall under “clickbait” scams, and the apps can do more damage than cluttering up your Facebook feed.”
3. The less accounts you have the better
One important way to maintain some sense of invisibility is to ensure that you do not get accounts you do not need. This is because the more accounts you have online including on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and even your emails, the more you reveal about yourself.
In some cases, using some accounts with an alias is much better if you do not really need an account. In the same light with the accounts, the more you limit them from being accessed by people who are not your friends or followers, the better is it for you. Finally, avoid giving all your details and the story of your life on social media.
4. Use a VPN
Using a virtual private network, or VPN is one of the most effective ways to hide yourself on the internet. This is because it allows you to easily hide your IP address as well as your location. Without this, it is extremely easy for anyone who is really interested to get to know where you are browsing from.
Even though most of the VPNs are not free, there are also many others that require you to pay only a very small amount or even nothing. More so, there are VPN services and tools that are available for both your PCs and your smartphones. It is one of the most effective ways to become invisible online.
5. Wear a virtual mask
This service offers you what could as well pass for a real mask on the internet. When using it, you get to create and manage disposable email addresses and generates secure passwords. With this, you can sign up for a website with either your real details or the created one. You can also make use of the service to purchase things online without necessarily using your credit card details. This means that no one will know who made the purchase.
Importantly, this service is not offered for free, but at a fee of $5 per month, it is not too much to pay.
6. Extreme Cases
In the extreme case that you need to pull everything down and start building again, you may need to delete your entire accounts and emails. Before you do this, you will need to be sure of what you are doing as when you delete your accounts, most times you won’t be able to pull them up again.
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If you are not sure of this, you can as well decide to use multiple identities on social media sites.
If you decide to delete the accounts, you can use any available ‘kill-all’ services to wipe off your data on the internet if you are the one that put them there. For those you didn’t put, you may need to make some payments.
