Are you concerned about the safety of data and privacy? You are not alone

Consumers all over the world are concerned about how both companies and their governments treat their personal data, and some do something about it.

According to the results of a survey from Malwarebytes, it was released on Wednesday89 % of people are concerned that companies reach their data and use inappropriately, while 72 % are concerned that the government is doing the same. Software Software 1500 readers from the newsletter from all over the world surveyed between March 17 and 27 this year.

The results come in the wake of a handful of recent incidents that highlight the amount of personal consumer data that are collected and stored by both companies and the government, and concerns related to security and privacy related to that.

23andme Chapter 11, extract bankruptcy protection in March What can happen to its huge group of consumer dataIncluding millions of genetic samples and test reports.

Meanwhile, a coalition of the working groups led by the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit in February on charges of accusing President Donald Trump’s administration has violated federal privacy laws when the Ministry of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk, also known as Doug, gave the systems that contain personal information about tens of millions of Americans without their approval.

In a 2-1 vote, the Federal Appeal Court on Monday Putting a judicial order that prevented Musk and DOGE from accessing Americans’ private data In the Ministry of Treasury and Education and the Personnel Management Office. He also set a quick schedule for appeal and he will hear oral arguments on May 5.

The survey also found it The rise of artificial intelligence techniques It also makes consumers cautious, with 89 % of those surveyed say they are concerned about using their data by artificial intelligence without their consent.

In the face of these concerns, some of those surveyed said that they are doing what they can to protect their data and the claw of some of their digital privacy. More than 40 % of those surveyed said they stopped using any Tiktok, Instagram or xWhile 26 % said they stopped using a Fertility tracking or period application.

In addition, 75 % of those surveyed said they were “penetrating data collection” when it is possible, and 23 % said they went beyond using a data removal service to remove their personal data that is easily accessed from the Internet.

Although it does not cover everything, these steps can be a great start. Here are some tips to protect your data privacy.

How to keep your own private data

Set good passwords. Long, random and unique Passwords It is the best. Do not tend to recycle one old, even if it is great. Yes, it could be a lot to deal with it. This is the place Password managers Come here. They will remember you.

Run the bilateral approval. This technique requires the use of a second identifier – such as Your fingerprintCode by notifying the application or a The material key – In addition to your password. This will make a long way to protect you if your password is at risk.

Think before sharing. Many people do not think twice before delivering their birth date or postal address when you subscribe to an online account or store reward program, but you must. That is because you never know where it may end. It can be stolen in data breach or sold to data brokers who can theoretically allow anyone.

This also applies to Artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT. Anything you enter into artificial intelligence becomes part of artificial intelligence, and you will not return it. Keep your personal details.

Online shopping as a guest. It may take another few minutes to write shipping and payment information every time, but it will keep this information from keeping it in the company’s systems. And when you finish online service, ask to delete your account and relevant data permanently, if possible. Data that no longer exists cannot be stolen.

Think of VPN. With most web sites – especially those that deal with financial or personal information – now encrypted, security experts are not wild to recommend the daily use of Virtual private networks For the ordinary person. But it can be useful for people who move away from their usual networks. but Be careful when choosing one. VPNS is free Generally a bad idea Because they are more likely to use their customer data to earn money.

Watch your accounts. Monitor your accounts and credit accounts on possible fraudulent fees. If you do not expect to apply for credit any time soon, Freeze your credit reports. If the company provides you with free credit monitoring due to data breach or for any other reason, register on it.

Lock your social media accounts. Make sure that the only “friends” your information shares are your actual friends. Until then, be careful to reveal it. Unnoticed parts of information such as Make and Model can be used for your first car or primary school that you attended to penetrate your passwords on the road, because these facts are often used in security checks.

Records of login and applications. It allows the use of Facebook or Google to automatically log in to your applications and websites access to more of your data. Think twice before you do it. Not to use the application anymore? Delete it and take his access to the data that you agreed to share it when downloading it for the first time.

Update everything. This applies not only to operating systems and anti -virus programs. The router, applications and all of these smart devices should be updated. Corrections to fix errors and safety problems cannot help you if you do not install them. If you don’t know how to update your router, contact your internet service provider or check online.