Protecting Your Online Identity: Best Tools and Practices

As the population that uses the internet rises, so do the associated identity theft risks. Identity theft is any deception, scam, or crime resulting in the loss of personal data, such as usernames, passwords, banking information, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and health identification numbers, which are then used without your consent or permission to commit fraud and other crimes.

In 2022, the IdentityTheft.gov website of the Federal Trade Commission received more than 1.1 million reports of identity theft. Therefore, taking appropriate practices and tools to secure yourself against identity theft is important.

Here are some tools and precautions you can take to secure yourself against identity theft.

Use Strong Passwords

For password-based accounts, a strong password is the best way to secure your online identity. If you are making a password, choose something hard to guess. It is best to avoid using any word or number that identifies you, such as your first, middle, and last names, your spouse's or child's names, addresses, phone numbers, employers, or anything else that might identify you.

To keep yourself safe from online security breaches, use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols in your password. You may need to update your passwords multiple times annually.

Password managers are also useful tools for securely storing usernames and passwords across different accounts. Some provide apps for mobile devices along with browser extensions or downloadable software. Several well-known password managers exist, such as Locker, 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane, LastPass, and Keeper.

Use Multi-Factor Authentication

Using two-factor or multi-factor authentication (MFA) makes your password-based accounts more secure by adding a layer of protection. MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) can be done in different ways. For example, you may need to scan your fingerprint or enter a code sent via text message along with your username and password.

Turning on MFA for accounts that contain your personal or financial details can prevent identity thieves from gaining access. Consider using a token-based MFA as passcodes generated by Google Authenticator, Duo Mobile, and Authy which can only be used once and are automatically reset after a set period of time.

Manage Personal Information Using ID Wallets

With the increasing prevalence of online transactions and identity fraud, it's crucial to have a secure and reliable way to manage our personal information. One solution to this problem is the use of digital ID wallets.

An ID Wallet is the mobile version of your physical wallet and serves three main purposes:

1. Acting as a secure digital vault for all your data: This includes any personal documents such as national ID cards, driver's licenses, and academic diplomas, among others, in an encrypted digital format called Verifiable Credentials.
2. Proving who you are: With ID Wallets, you can verify your identity and authenticate yourself quickly and securely without requiring lengthy sign-up processes or complex passwords. You just share the necessary credentials in one click.
3. Managing linked services: You can finally control and manage who has access to your data. This means you can both grant and revoke access to your data and view all the given consents to service providers.

Gataca is one of the companies leading the ID Wallets revolution. Gataca Wallet allows you to carry all important documents with you in the form of portable verifiable credentials without the need for paper-based originals or rely on notarization services.

It is privacy-preserving as you have complete control of your data, and provides the best and most secure user experience for onboarding and sign-in processes. You simply scan a QR code with your Gataca Wallet, consent to the required data for identity verification, and are in.

Set up Security Software

Security suites are programs that protect your computer from viruses and hackers who try to steal your information. This means stopping harmful software like spyware, viruses, and phishing scams that can get onto your computer without knowing when you're using the internet.

Several antivirus programs offer the highest level of protection. The popular antivirus programs are Norton Antivirus, Surfshark Antivirus, McAfee Virus Protection, Ad-Aware Pro Security, and AVG Internet Security. You can also check out more information on the best antivirus programs.

Manage Your Privacy Settings Online

One easy step you can take is to review the privacy settings on your frequently used online accounts. Companies earn a lot of money by collecting your personal information. Usually, their standard settings focus on gathering your data rather than safeguarding it.

The best settings will depend on what you want to share and what you want to keep private. Some specific areas require your careful attention:

• Tracking: Consider disabling the automatic geolocation feature on social media posts, photos, and comments.
• Public information: Consider which information should be made public, kept private, or shared selectively. Usually, there are three types of data: information about you, the things you post, and the things you do with other people's posts.
• Likes, shares, and comments: People show appreciation, spreading, and responding to content. We often consider restricting what we share, but our "likes" and comments on other posts are usually visible to the public. Searching for something might see pictures, names, and comments from private accounts in the results.

Avoid Using Public Wireless Networks

Public Wi-Fi connections are accessible to almost everyone, and bad actors may quickly sneak in. Hackers create methods to access linked devices since they know that many people utilize public Wi-Fi.

Avoid using public internet connections, especially if you are unsure about their security. If you have to use the public internet, don't enter any information that could reveal your identity.

You can use a safe Virtual Private Network (VPN) to browse the internet when you're not at home. Your information will be encrypted, which means cybercriminals will find it difficult to access the data you send and receive.

Keep Your Credit Card Information Safe

You can protect your online data by enabling cookies on your browser only when a website requires it. Cookies are pieces of information that websites store on your computer. They can include details about the sites you visit and your activities on those sites. Many people don't share their personal information, but some dishonest individuals use this to obtain your information.

To ensure a website is secure, look for a lock symbol indicating trusted security and "s" at the end of "http" in the URL bar. When a website asks for your credit card information, the web address changes from "http" to "https" to show that it is a secure site. When you visit a secure website, you will see a lock symbol on the right side of the address bar or at the bottom left of your browser window. The site is encrypted when you see these two signals. This means that information sent to the website owner must be seen by someone else. This prevents others from seeing your name, phone number, address, credit card number, and other sensitive information.

Conclusion

In the digital age, where the majority of confidential information is maintained online, identity theft has become a major concern. Cybercriminals can use your information to commit a variety of offenses, including financial fraud and identity theft.

Strong passwords and password managers, multi-factor authentication, security software, and managing privacy settings are essential measures. Additionally, new technologies such as ID Wallets allow now better protection and user experience while being privacy-preserving. Taking these steps enhances online security, ensuring a safer digital presence.