30 Ways to Love Yourself Online

A Beginner’s Guide to Personal Data Privacy

Tip#1

Create Strong Passwords.

Pumili ng password na talagang ipaglalaban ka sa mga hacker. Strong passwords are at least 12 characters long and contain a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and if possible, symbols.

Tip#2

Never Use The Same Password on Multiple Accounts.

‘Wag masyadong loyal sa isang password, para mo na ring sinuko lahat agad-agad. Having different passwords on multiple accounts makes it harder for hackers to guess them.

Tip#3

Lock your device.

Diba kapag mahal mo, aalagaan mo?
Leaving a laptop or cellphone unlocked is like leaving an open purse, which hackers are more than happy to take advantage of.

Tip#4

Always log out of browsers.

Matuto ng malinis na pamamaalam, lalo na kung hindi naman talaga sa’yo…ang laptop. Google Chrome has a unified log in system, which logs you into the browser even if you only log in through the e-mail, so don’t forget to log out. Or better yet, use Incognito mode.

Tip#5

Make sure there is an https in the browser address bar.

Sa umaga’t sa gabi, sa bawat minutong lumilipas, ito ang dapat mong hinahanap-hanap. The S after the HTTP stands for “Secure,” which means the data being sent between your browser and the site you are on is encrypted.

Tip#6

Do not log in on personal accounts on free or public wifi.

Hindi lahat ng libre at willing magpagamit ay dapat gamitin. Open networks make it very easy for people to peek into your activity and accounts, and the people you share the network with may also be using compromised devices.

Tip#7

Install an Anti-Virus…and update it.

Hindi porket nakuha mo na, iiwan mo nalang sa ere. New viruses are being created all the time, so simply installing an anti-virus program doesn’t cut it. It is important to update the programs to keep up with new and emerging threats.

Tip#8

Don’t click on pop-ups or virus warnings.

Kahit marupok, wag basta-basta magpauto. These warnings are now called “scareware,” which are fake security alerts telling you to click a link to download software to remove the virus in your computer. The links, however, contain viruses.

Tip#9

Install an ad blocker to lessen browser pop-ups.

Hindi lahat ng libre at willing magpagamit ay dapat gamitin. Open networks make it very easy for people to peek into your activity and accounts, and the people you share the network with may also be using compromised devices.

Tip#10

Have you been Powned?

Baka biniktima ka na nga, hindi mo pa alam.
Check out Powned Websites to see if you’ve availed of compromised services online. If, by any chance, you have, change your passwords immediately.

Tip#11

Clean up your Facebook Third-Party Apps.

Malaking problema ang mga third party, lalo na sa data privacy. While they are a fun way to find games or see which celebrity you look like, third-party apps on Facebook can and too often send your personal data to at least 25 outside data companies, so it is definitely a good idea to remove permissions from unnecessary ones.

Tip#12

Clean up your Facebook Groups.

Alam naming mahirap maghanap ng The One, pero wala siya sa Facebook Group mo. The more Facebook groups you join — especially the big, open ones —the more likely you are vulnerable to identity thieves. Other members within these groups are not restricted from viewing your primary data.

Tip#13

Set up your Facebook Privacy Settings.

Protektahan mo naman ang puso mo paminsan-minsan.
Setting your Facebook privacy protects your content from predators, stalkers, and identity thieves. Not everyone has to know what you’re doing every minute of the day, especially if it’s information on your vacation details or bank accounts.

Tip#14

Unfriend Facebook friends you don’t know personally.

Kung ang ex mo nga ang bilis mong na-unfriend, lalong dapat i-unfriend ang mga bogus account. With too many people’s names, birth dates, education, and work history available online, bogus accounts can easily duplicate a person you may know or want to be friends with. These bogus accounts can target you for identity theft, malicious links, or spam attacks.

Tip#15

Update your Facebook Timeline and Tagging Settings.

Matutong limitahan ang sarili. Tandaan, nasa huli ang pagsisisi.
Sure, you can untag yourself from unwanted, unrelated, or embarrassing posts and photos, but for things like this, prevention is always preferred. Set up your Timeline and Tagging so that you can have an immediate say on what does and does not make it on your page.

Tip#16

Don’t be too public.

Sa panahon ngayon, mahirap nang ibigay ang lahat-lahat.
While sharing details about your life can be fun and exciting, there are just some things you should never, ever share on social media. Things like your home address, vacation details, ticket numbers, and the layout of your house should always be kept private.

Tip#17

Check and clean up your spam folder.

Bago maging bato ang puso mo, linisin mo muna ang e-mail mo. Be wary of e-mails that come from people you don’t know, contain misspellings (i.e. ‘p0rn’ with a zero) designed to fool spam filters, makes an offer that seems too good to be true, or contain attachments like .exe files.

Tip#18

Be wary of phishing emails.

Sa panahon ngayon, mahirap na talaga makahanap ng taong puwedeng i-trust. Phishing criminals typically send emails to thousands of people, pretending to come from banks, credit card companies, online shops and auction sites to trick you into going to a fake site and entering your personal information.

Tip#19

Avoid using work e-mail addresses for personal matters.

Trabaho lang, walang personalan. Company e-mail addresses are typically controlled by your IT people and can be accessed by your bosses, so it’s best to keep personal matters outside of work. Moreover, your work-email address is usually an easy target for spam and viruses, especially if it’s listed in your company website.

Tip#20

Unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters.

Wala ka namang balak pansinin, kaya wag mo nang paasahin. Unsubscribing from the newsletter you had to sign up for two years ago to get a free item would do wonders for your e-mail inbox and for the safety of your personal information.

Tip#21

Clean up your Browser Extensions.

Huwag laging kuha nang kuha, baka ikaw maagawan din nang ‘di mo alam. Exercise caution over the extensions you install for your browser. These are pieces of code that can customize your user experience, but are also dangerous if left unchecked in the hands of malicious people who want to track your browsing or capture your passwords and private data.

Tip#22

Delete your Browsing Data.

Walang forever, lalo na kung matiyaga kang mag-clear ng search and browsing data. Cookies on your browsers help you track your usernames and passwords, but it can also be used to track your activity, interests, and preferences. Keep your data private by regularly clearing your browsing data.

Tip#23

Uninstall unwanted programs from your PC.

Yung gusto mo, o yung gusto ka? Bakit ba tayo laging nilalapitan ng mga ayaw natin? Be wary of Potentially Unwanted Programs, usually adware, which display advertisements or fake security warnings on web pages that you visit

Tip#24

Back up your files and data.

Kapag mahal mo, aalagaan mo. The threat of ransomware has been growing through phishing e-mails and pop-up ads. Ransomware is when a hacker locks your computer down and threatens to wipe out your data if you don’t pay up.

Tip#25

Keep your software up-to-date.

Kung wala ka namang date tonight, pa-update na lang ng software mo. Software updates are critical for everything from brand new iPhones to ancient PCs, because these updates sometimes fix security and privacy flaws that leave you vulnerable to hackers.

Tip#26

Check and use firewalls.

‘Pag mahal mo, bakuran mo na, with fire. Firewalls are network security systems that monitor incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Make sure yours is up, and that they stay up.

Tip#27

Secure your wireless network.

May mga bagay talaga na para sa inyo lang. Lock down your wireless network with a strong password and encryption. You can also connect your machine to your router to check how many devices are connected to your network. If there are more than you’d expect, it’s time to change passwords.

Tip#28

Store personal and financial documents securely.

Pag-ingatan ang mga bagay na tunay na sa’yo, mahirap nang maagawan ka. Never access your personal and financial documents in internet cafes or public computers. Additionally, when storing your extra-sensitive files, save them in one folder, compress with a password, and delete the original folder for extra safe-keeping.

Tip#29

Be mindful of devices with company data on them.

Pangalagaan mo kahit never naman naging sa’yo. This goes without saying, but keep your boss and clients happy by respecting their data privacy as much as you do yours. Never open confidential files for work on public computers, and treat devices that contain these files with extra care.

Tip#30

Pass this on. Help your loved ones love themselves

Show your love to friends and family by introducing them to good personal data privacy practices to keep them safe off and online.