Top Three Ways to Protect Your Privacy

Using the computer makes your life a lot easier in many respects. You can do online banking, purchase goods through Web stores, apply for your passport and even submit a tax return online. This is very convenient but there are potential dangers. You see, your private information gets submitted online and is stored on your computer. If a malicious person accesses it, they can steal your identity and clear your bank account. That’s why you need to pay extra attention to protecting your privacy. And three best ways to do it are as follows:

1. Install security software
2. Use a file shredder
3. Encrypt your data

1. Install security software

The first thing you need to do to protect your privacy is to install good security software. There are a lot of anti-viruses and anti-malware programs available for download today and most of them are of very high quality. As a rule, you should look for an anti-virus or Internet security suite that gets daily updates, offers real-time protection, and is not too heavy on system resources. Good paid security programs are Kaspersky, ESET and Sophos. As for free anti-viruses, go for either Microsoft Security Essentials or Avast.

2. Use a file shredder

Now that you have a good anti-virus installed on your PC, you need to make sure your files are safe. The first thing to do is to make sure your deleted files stay that way. When you delete a file, it’s first place in the Recycle Bin. You can easily restore any file you place in the Bin and that’s great if you delete something by accident. However, it’s not so great when someone else recovers your confidential files. That’s why it’s good to clear the Recycle Bin every now and again.

But did you know that even if you clear the recycle bin, your deleted files can still be recovered? This is possible because Windows doesn’t delete the files the moment you click on the Del button. Instead, the operating system marks the space occupied by these files as free and waits for an opportunity to save new files to that bit of space. You can’t be sure when exactly that will happen. This means that your confidential files, like your old bank statements with your name address, can be recovered using free file recovery software. Not good.

Luckily, there is an easy solution – all you need to do is use a file shredder to delete files containing confidential information. A good file shredding program will offer you a choice of different algorithms and allow you to shred files in the most secure way. In addition to that, good file shredders like Easy File Shredder can shred free space. Shredding free space will wipe traces of all previously deleted files without touching your existing files or programs. This will make sure none of your deleted files can be recovered.

Encrypt your data

And now you need to follow the third step to protect your privacy – encrypt your sensitive files. If you store any confidential information on your computer, you wouldn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands. By confidential information I mean your passwords, your bank details, your private photos and anything that identifies you. That’s why you should use file encryption software like SensiGuard to protect your privacy.

Now you know what you need to do to protect your privacy. Don’t forget to follow these recommendations and your computer will stay safe.