Most people underestimate how much of their digital footprint is collected and traded. Governments, advertisers, ISPs, and data brokers all have incentives to track you. Pretending privacy is just ‘use incognito mode’ is naive.
Weak guidance like ‘just change your social media settings’ ignores structural surveillance. You need to minimise data generation, not just tweak settings. Use privacy-respecting services, limit data sharing, and practice good security hygiene.
Concrete steps:
- Use unique passwords with a reputable password manager; reusing passwords is a security disaster.
- Enable multi-factor authentication on every account that supports it; this prevents most account takeover attempts.
- Prefer browsers and search engines with strong privacy policies (e.g., Firefox with hardened settings, or Brave) instead of mainstream options that monetise your data.
- Regularly review the permissions of your mobile apps; uninstall or disable apps that collect unnecessary data.
Remember that no single product solves privacy. Staying informed and reducing your digital footprint are superior to any marketing-driven quick fix.
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