It’s spring, and not only are people dusting the tops of their fans, but also their digital footprint. The Better Business Bureau wants to ensure you secure your data so you remain in control of your assets. Your digital assets range from financial login data, personal photos, tax information, to even what you are searching online.
In today’s world, data brokers gather data on individuals and can then sell the information to another business to advance their business objectives. Data brokers operating in the states of California and Vermont are required to register with state government officials.
Many of these data brokers work across state lines, but are not required to register as a data broker in other states. According to PrivacyRights.org, in 2021 there were 540 registered data brokers with these two state’s agencies. An analysis by the BBB in March 2023 of these state’s public databases shows this number is still increasing, so it’s high time to clear out and clean up your digital clutter. Here are some areas to consider putting a shine to:
w Which web browser are you using? In the most popular web browsers, users are being tracked. Every click, scroll and even pause is being recorded. There are a few options available to assist in keeping your information and browsing history secure. In the most popular web browsers like Edge and Chrome, you can dive into the settings and turn on “Send Do Not Track” requests.” Web browsers like Brave, DuckDuckGo and Firefox are increasingly focused on protecting your data as a consumer, and are building their business model around keeping your data yours.
w Clean up your online presence. Look at your social media accounts and double-check the built-in privacy settings. Can strangers online see your post about being on vacation halfway around the world? How about cleaning up your digital footprint in services like Google? If you have a Google account, you can head over to myactivity.google.com and delete your stored web and app activity, your YouTube browsing history, and even your location history. You may also want to look at automating a clean digital footprint by using the auto-delete option that is offered.
w How safe are your passwords? It’s been asked every day since the dawn of the password: When was the last time you changed your password? Better yet, when was the last time you created a brand-new password? We’re not talking about changing one number at the end of the password, but an entirely new password. Another option is to use a password manager that creates and stores complex passwords that a human could never remember.
Here at the Better Business Bureau, when choosing a password manager, we suggest taking multiple things into account, such as considering which devices you will be using it on, will your entire family need to use the service, and understanding how account lockouts are handled. Keep in mind, though, these services can also become compromised themselves. As an extra layer of security, explore multi-factor authentication, especially for your financial accounts.
w Back it up. Not the dump truck kind of backing it up. How about backing up all your devices? When a device or hard drive fails, as they all eventually will, you don’t want that dump truck of data loss to land on your shoulders. Back up your tax returns, your mortgage contracts, your employment contracts, your photos, and anything digital that could prove useful or important in the future. Use online cloud services to secure this data, but also look at storing this information on a physical hard drive that is not always connected to the internet. Use the 3-2-1 rule to help guide you: 3 — backup copies, 2 — different media types, and 1 — offline in a separate location.
w Finally, update your system and software. After you’ve backed up your devices and documents, go into the device settings and check for updates. Even the largest, most capable software companies are regularly finding loopholes in their systems that can be exploited. Keeping your devices up to date is yet another layer of security between you and data loss.
Take some time this spring to clean up your digital footprint, secure your data, and back up those ever-growing important documents and photos. If you don’t secure your data now, it may be too late later. With today’s ever-changing world of technology, small changes add up to what we are all searching for — safety.
Head over to BBB.org/Cybersecurity for more resources on keeping your data safe while online.
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Roseann Freitas ismarketplace manager Hawai‘i, Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific, at 900 Fort Street Mall, Ste. 1310, Honolulu, HI 96813; 808-260-0643, bbb.org.
