In today’s society, information has been provided at almost free and with no consequences at all. In almost all platforms information is now readily available for almost anyone; even government spending and contracts are made transparent to the public after some time. The world is made of information, data is the key towards knowledge, and information is the doorway towards control, power, and even authority. An example of this would be how politicians manipulate information over television and internet advertisements for their own benefit.

Also another more concrete example would be educational systems and institutions which utilize and capitalizes on information and data to profit off from students with almost no capital cost for information. But the idea of open source information is not all rainbows and butterflies, it also has its own dark side which comes as an inevitability in the process towards attaining free data. One of the main issue with an open information system within a liberal society is the proclivity of people to use it for vile things or abuse it.

Since the later generation is born with the new set of norms that are associated with liberal use of information, it blinds them to the idea that the first casualty in such society is their privacy. Privacy is the first one to go when we argue for freedom of information. And in a society which has less constrains and etiquettes with regards to technology use, this creates a culture of impunity wherein people would not care for or respect one’s privacy and private life, and this is dangerous.

Here are some tips to protect your privacy and identity in the internet era:

Be Careful Of Using Public Wi-Fi

One way where hackers and infiltrators can hack into your phone and gadget is to be wary of public internet connection. It can also be a portal for other third party phishers to gain information from your phone including private emails and contact numbers. You have to be careful where to connect and make sure you can trust your connections. Wi-Fi connections are also used by precise surveillance company to gain data to a huge number of people.

Use an Antivirus

One of the most basic things in using the internet is to have a formidable antivirus so that you will not be easily infiltrated by malicious programs and viruses. Make sure that your antivirus also has features for a firewall and additional protection for your PC or phone.

There Are Dangers in Spam Emails

If you think that emails are safe and its antivirus are secure, think again. Once opened, email attachments can contain viruses or malwares which can steal information and even bank login and passwords if opened without extra caution. Make sure that you open emails from people you know and even if you know them, make sure not to click any link or attachment that is questionable because it might contain dangerous malwares.

In this age of public internet and free data, let us still apply the basic rule of being cautious and protect ourselves because there are thieves and vile people out there who are after our information, data, and privacy.