In the 21st century, nearly every aspect of life has been impacted by the internet. People share photos by email and on social media, pay bills, shop and conduct banking transactions, all online. But as convenient as all that sharing and those transactions are, there are also potentially serious risks involved. It is essential to exercise caution online to stay as safe as possible online. Investing in comprehensive data protection measures also minimizes the risk of losing sensitive personal or financial data – or irreplaceable photos.
Keeping Kids Safe Online
Today many schools require children to complete at least some homework assignments online. Kids and teens also love sharing and interacting with one another on social media. However, kids online present special risks. They may accidentally delete an important file on another part of the computer. They may also visit a malicious site that infects the computer but may go undetected for days or weeks while it does its damage. Children are also potential targets for online predators and bullying from other children or even by adults.
Protect children online by monitoring their activities and placing limitations when needed. These limits can include setting time limits on using the computer and mobile devices for entertainment. You can also use parental controls on kids’ phones and computers to limit which sites they can visit.
Safeguarding Private and Personal Photos
The downside to easy photo sharing is that photos can also potentially be accessed without permission. Photos can also give away sensitive information, including precise locations of where they were taken.
Hiding photos on computers and mobile devices can help keep them private. The procedure hide photos differ according to the operating system (OS) of the device involved: Windows computers, Android mobile devices and Mac computers and IOS devices each have separate procedures for hiding photos. The precise steps also vary according to the specific hardware device. Consulting with the owner’s manual should provide needed instructions.
Maximizing Social Media Privacy
Social media platforms are popular because they allow easy sharing of information and interactions. The fact that they are free to use doesn’t hurt. However, that free price tag comes at a considerable cost to personal privacy. It’s worth the effort to investigate social media profiles and make adjustments to privacy settings. This is especially important for kids’ social media profiles. Possible social media privacy adjustments include limiting who can view photos or identify individual people in photos. Creating an invitation-only group for posting photos is another means of maintaining a measure of privacy for photos on social media.
Many digital photos include encoded information known as Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) format metadata. EXIF metadata can include precise location data, date and time the photo was taken, the type of equipment used to take the photos and more. Removing EXIF metadata can prevent burglars, identity thieves and others from learning that the entire family is on vacation far from home or the precise location of a child’s school. EXIF metadata can be removed from a single photo or from all photos within a particular computer file.
Protecting Personal and Financial Data
Protecting sensitive personal and financial data stored on a computer requires employing several computer safety measures, including installing antivirus and anti-malware software, plus a firewall. Avoid accessing sensitive data through public Wi-Fi networks without using a virtual private network (VPN). Keeping OS, browsers and individual software programs updated is also essential to maintaining online security. Physically destroy old hard drives with a hammer before discarding an old computer. Regular backups of critical files provide protection against ransomware demands.
Investing in Your Family’s Protection
Exercising caution and safe online surfing behavior can go a long way toward keeping sensitive financial and personal data safe. However, even the most diligent computer users can still be targeted by hackers and identity thieves. Investing in comprehensive online protection with device security, VPN and identity protection from Norton and LifeLock adds an extra measure of protection. If the worst happens, you’ll get help working with credit bureaus and the authorities to limit and repair the damage. It’s money well spent to keep personal and financial data plus irreplaceable family photos protected.
Keeping your kids safe online can feel impossible at times, but by taking strategic precautions, you can do your part to make your child’s internet usage a little safer. By utilizing parental controls, safeguarding private photos, setting strict privacy controls on social media, protecting financial data and investing in professional digital protection services, you can keep your family’s data safe online.
Disclosure: Mommy Makes Time receives products in order to conduct reviews. No monetary compensation was provided unless noted otherwise. All opinions are 100% my own. Some posts may contain affiliate links that I receive commission or payment from in exchange for referrals. In the event of a giveaway, the sponsor is responsible for delivery of the prize, unless otherwise noted in the posting. I only recommend products or services I personally use and believe will be a good fit for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 225: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising
