Summer is a great time to relax and unwind. But that doesn’t mean you should risk your privacy and safety online.
Even though you’re going to a beach to drink cocktails, you still do one of the following:
- Logging into your email
- Post online
- Look up café reviews.
This may be easy for you, but it can risk your online privacy and passwords.
7 Online Privacy Tips Before Summer Travel
Here are some of the best things you can do to stay safe online while traveling.
1. Watch Out for Your Screen
Some people like to look into things. They want to get involved in what other people do. Many risks to your privacy online happen behind your back. When you’re glued to your screen, you don’t always know.
What to Do?
Buy a screen protector for privacy.
This is a thin piece that sticks to the screen of your phone. When you attach it, it makes your screen darker when you look at it from the side.
Great for keeping people from looking over your shoulder. This will also keep them from seeing your passwords or messages as you type them in.
A great, cheap product that keeps things private when you’re traveling.
2. Fake Travel Sites
Do you like to find the cheapest flights possible?
But this can put your security online at risk. Verifying that the site you’re booking from is real is always a good idea. IATA has a public service announcement about fake travel sites that you should review.
What to Do?
You should learn more about a site if you haven’t heard of it before.
Check that the site’s address is correct to find sites you can trust. You can also book right from companies you know and have booked from before.
3. Keep Your Phone Locked
I know this is obvious, but you wouldn’t believe how many people don’t do it.
You’re more likely to be distracted and let your guard down when you’re on vacation.
This can mean putting down your phone without locking it.
What to Do?
Setting a passcode on your phone is the best thing you can do.
Not only your phone but all of your devices. So, if someone steals your phone, they won’t be able to use it. You should take it a step further and back up your accounts and devices before you leave.
So, you won’t lose all the pictures you took on your trip.
4. Avoid Unsecured wi-fi Networks
Free wi-fi is great for everyone. But you have to give up your privacy to get it. Connecting to free and public wi-fi networks makes it easy for thieves to take advantage of you.
The wi-fi in many public places is not safe.
This means that someone can break into the wi-fi and spread viruses. They could even get their dirty hands-on information about you.
What to Do?
Make sure you know the wi-fi network you want to join.
You can be sure that you are not connecting to a fake network this way. Ask the staff if you don’t know the name of the network. You can also connect to public wi-fi with a VPN.
This keeps people from being able to see what you are doing online.
5. Avoid Scanning QR Codes
Do you know what quishing is?
Scammers in Texas put fake QR codes over real ones on parking meters to trick people. When scanned, it would take people to sketchy websites asking for their credit card and bank information.
What to Do?
When it comes to QR codes, be careful. Check to see if it’s real or not. If possible, you could ask the staff at a restaurant. Alternatively, you can always pay cash.
6. Don’t Leave Bluetooth and wi-fi on
Many devices stay on the settings that came with them.
This lets it connect automatically to networks they’ve used before.
But there is a risk that your device finds these networks based on their names, which can be faked.
What to Do?
Your wi-fi should always be turned off.
Please turn it on only when you want to join a network. Your Bluetooth should also be turned off. The only catch is that you must pair it with a trusted device, like your headphones.
Power is also saved when Bluetooth is turned off.
7. Internet Cafes Are Risky
These aren’t as popular as they once were.
This business went out of business because smartphones are good for your privacy.
What to Do?
You can use a portable operating system instead of a PC you don’t trust if you have to.
Simply put, it’s a USB stick that you can plug into any PC and use to run your operating system. When you’re done, you can close it.
