Signal Summer 2017 Newsletter

8Ways to Protect Your Digital Privacy

Simple things you can do to keep your personal information safer online

1. Be Cautious While on Public WiFi

Connecting to the WiFi network at

your favorite coffee shop or at the airport

is a convenient way to save yourself

from costly data overages. For devices

like laptops that don’t have 3G or 4G

service built in, connecting to public

WiFi networks is one of the few ways to

get online outside your home.

There’s nothing wrong with using

public WiFi— just be smart about it:

• Ask the owner of the WiFi network,

or someone who works at the estab-

lishment, for the WiFi network name.

A smart hacker can easily set up a

WiFi network with a legitimate-look-

ing name like “attwifi Starbucks” to

trick you into joining. Make sure the

network you’re about to join is the

real deal before clicking the

“connect” button.

• If the network is not secured by a

password, be cautious about what

sites you visit. For example, logging

into your bank account on an unse-

cured network is a bad idea.

• Turn off file sharing and network

discovery on your laptop to prevent

others from seeing your machine on

the network.

• Turn off WiFi when you’re not using it.

2. Make Passwords Longer

You’re probably already creating pass-

words including a mixture of capital

Today most of us do our banking online, pay our bills electronically, and send emails that may contain

personal details. It’s no wonder digital privacy is now an everyday consideration. You’re probably familiar

with the usual advice, such as create strong passwords and don’t share your Social Security number

online. But as online threats expand, it’s important to take your precautions a step further and become

more diligent about creating digital boundaries.