Internet Safety Tips: To be safe on the internet while using internet banking, digital payments wallets, cashless transactions and keeping kids safe then follow these basic internet safety tips to be safe on the internet.
No matter how safe websites owners and digital payments wallets companies promise. But it’s really important to take internet safety precautions. Internet safety is important for students, shoppers, shopping websites, apps, professionals and everyone including with government and banks.
Basic Internet Safety Tips:
1. Get the basic knowledge of computer and internet security from cyber experts or on the internet by doing various free online courses.
2. Always check email messages carefully before sending personal or private information.
3. Don’t give and use debit card and credit cards on the websites without HTTPs and padlock icon. Also right click on padlock icon and check validation certification. Don’t use such websites for money transaction if validity is expired.
4. Never give online banking, mobile money wallets information to anyone or suspicious people on the internet and offline too. Do not share passwords and bank account details on social groups.
5. Always protect data on your computer. You can also use Bitlocker on the drive data in Windows pc. Also take backups in DVD or use cloud storage application.
6. Make sure your Wi-FI is secure and safe to use. You can also change the defaults password provided to you by internet service provider. Create strong password and never share it with unknown people. If your internet speed is getting slow contact to your internet service provider and make sure that personal WI-FI network is secure and safe.
7. Use strong password more than 8 characters. Always use symbol (@, # $ etc.), tough to guess number (894617), combination of capital and small letters. Don’t’ use easy password such as date of birth, mobile number and kids name etc. Also create different password for each application you use on the internet. Such as Facebook, Gmail, digital wallets and internet banking etc. internet applications passwords should be different.
8. Install updated antivirus and anti-hacking software in your computer. Turn on firewall. Turn off network discovery and file sharing during public internet access. Also you can install antivirus extension and add-on in your browser.
9. Be conscious while surfing web. Don’t visit infected websites and adult content websites. They corrupt your browser and steal information. Be with parents while using internet. And if you find anything that is looking attractive don’t click and talk to parents about that quickly.
10. Logout from email account, social media accounts while using internet or surfing websites. Also always turn off the internet when you’re not using in your mobile and computer. Never leave a computer and mobile connected to internet.
11. Don’t allow any website to use your location and allow sending you notification to your desktop. Don’t give any personal information, email accounts, mobile number to unknown people and less trusted websites on the internet. Also do not make friends you don’t know offline. Be careful.
12. Don’t’ click on pop ups, attractive messages, download free and you win 10000 etc. kind of content on the internet. Be careful also from people you connect on social media sites. A girl can be a hacker you’re chatting with or a boy can be hacker. Make sure while chatting on social media and chatting apps. So be aware about such people.
13. Don’t save personal information on the desktop while using public computer and internet especially in cyber cafés. Never transfer fund or don’t use internet banking and such application in cyber shops.
14. While doing checkout, transferring money, doing recharge online never save your debit card information on the website. Shopping Websites ask you to save your card details for next time. But don’t do that!
15. When download software’s and games on the internet make sure that you’re using trusted websites. Also torrent provider websites and torrent kind of software’s are not safe to use and they can send virus in computer. There are viruses which collect information from computer send back to hacker. So, be careful specially when downloading software’s.
16. Use double security check by using one time password (OTP) in Gmail account. The benefit of OTP is that it will send code in your mobile phone after you enter the password. This is good option that you can prevent your email accounts.
17. Never save password in your browser when you login to Facebook, twitter and Gmail etc. application on the internet. When you login to any application it will ask you save your password. So, never click on yes button to save password on the internet on any website. Also never stays signed in and always uncheck the box.
18. Clear browser cookies detail, caches and history each time you close your browser. Also in windows computer use Disk Clean up option to clean your computer’s temporary files and dummy files. You can also use type %temp% in run menu in windows computer and delete temporary files.
19. Always careful that your computer time, IP, network settings are correct. Your window and all kind of other application such as antivirus should be updated or you can update regularly. Update antivirus immediately if it’s expired, don’t use expired antivirus in computer it is same as expired antibiotic.
20. Leave spam groups on social media sites. If you find anything uncomfortable on social media sites report this to website admin.
21. Only use bank recommended apps and application for online transactions. Always follow all kind of security measurement published on bank sites.
22. Do not give mobile to children with internet connection without your eye on the phone and kids. Be friends with your kids and teenagers. And always keep asking them about their internet activities.
23. Keep getting knowledge about internet safety tips, rules and facts. Stay safe on the internet by learning and asking from others.
24. Do not install infected or less trustworthy apps in your mobile phone. And never allow any apps to access your most important data. Read privacy policies of each website or apps while installing and agreeing to install.
25. Never use virus infected Pen Drive in your laptop and computer. Also do not use your pen drive in public PC without antivirus. Do not give pen drive to anyone unknown without your physical presence.
26. Never share confidential details of your account to anyone on phone and email such as account number, PIN, Password, URN, OTP etc.
27. Do not reply to email, calls and SMS that you claimed to be the lottery winner.
To be continued ……………
There are various positive and negatives impact of internet in our society. Internet is very beneficial but if we know the uses of internet in our daily life and what are the productive things that you can on the internet. When you use internet with presence of mind it is very useful and beneficial for everyone around the world.
So, follow these basic internet safety tips and stay safe online and educate others to be safe.