Introduction

The internet is constantly evolving and changing. It is hard to stay safe online in the modern world, and with this, it is hard to protect your personal data from others online, so much so that over 40% of the UK's adult population has experienced some form of online crime. So in answer to the question, 'How do I stay safe online?' I have compiled this series of articles in order for you, the reader, to educate yourself on online safety.

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Introduction

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Online profiles

We all have online profiles, whether with Google or X (Twitter); you are probably reading this to make sure your online accounts are secure, and I am here to help you do just that, so let's just get into it!

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The less the better

What do I mean by this? You may be thinking, well, I mean, the fewer online accounts you have to manage, the more secure you are overall! So if you have any accounts you do not use anymore or any accounts you do not need, I would suggest deleting them.

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No connections!

A lot of online services like Canva offer an option to sign up to their service with your Google or Facebook account. Now this may seem convenient, and it is, but it is a bad idea. It is a bad idea because if your Google or Facebook accounts get hacked into, all of these connected accounts are now compromised, and you cannot do anything about it because you cannot log into the account you connected it all to.

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Common sense!

Use your common sense! Do not share any of your passwords unless you absolutely have tools. If a website seems off and you feel uncomfortable, leave the website.

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Online profiles

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The less the better

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No connections!

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Common sense!

Use your common sense! Do not share any of your passwords unless you absolutely have tools. If a website seems off and you feel uncomfortable, leave the website.

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Passwords

Having a secure Password is the most important part of your online security, so how do you keep and know a good password?

Password managers

In the modern day you do not need to remember your passwords thanks to password managers! But what password managers can you turst and use?

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I only suggest one password manager, that being KeePassXC, and the reason why I suggest KeePassXC is because the source code is available to view so you know you can trust it, and the other reason why I suggest using KeePassXC is because it is offline, meaning nobody can hack an online account; instead, they have to obtain the password.kdbx file on your computer, which is harder to do than hacking an online account.

Due to the fact that KeePassXC works offline with a .kdbx file, I suggest having a spare USB stick with a backup on it just in case it gets deleted for whatever reason.

Syncing all of your passwords between devices is easy with KeePassXC; I just use Syncthing to do so. It is easy to setup, and I have never had any issues with it!

What makes a good password?

A good password should be made up of totally random charicters that have no relation to you as a person.

An example of a weak password would be:
Grace'sPassword123

And an example of a strong password would be:
{gÙIjWÝ0ó{Ðö÷åQü9+òÀË×?Ì¯Áv

Now you might see why you should have a password manager, so it can remember stuff like this for you!

I do suggest your password to be longer than 16 charicters!

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Back  List  Next
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Passwords

Having a secure Password is the most important part of your online security, so how do you keep and know a good password?

Password managers

In the modern day you do not need to remember your passwords thanks to password managers! But what password managers can you turst and use?

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Due to the fact that KeePassXC works offline with a .kdbx file, I suggest having a spare USB stick with a backup on it just in case it gets deleted for whatever reason.

Syncing all of your passwords between devices is easy with KeePassXC; I just use Syncthing to do so. It is easy to setup, and I have never had any issues with it!

What makes a good password?

A good password should be made up of totally random charicters that have no relation to you as a person.

An example of a weak password would be:
Grace'sPassword123

And an example of a strong password would be:
{gÙIjWÝ0ó{Ðö÷åQü9+òÀË×?Ì¯Áv

Now you might see why you should have a password manager, so it can remember stuff like this for you!

I do suggest your password to be longer than 16 charicters!

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Web browsers

There is lots of debate on what the best 'privacy based browser' is, so I am going to settle it here and now, and suggest the two best web browser you should daily drive.

LibreWolf

LibreWolf is a custom version of Mozilla's Firefox that is focused on privacy, security, and freedom. LibreWolf is designed to protect you against trackers and being fingerprinted across the internet. LibreWolf also removes all of Firefox's telemetry, data collection, and all the annoyances that come with using Firefox. Librewolf also by default disables anti-user freedom features like DRM.

I personally use LibreWolf on a day-to-day basis, and I love it with all my heart! There is not one issue I have had with it; the only problems I have had with LibreWolf are that some websites refuse to work because it disables a bunch of trackers, but I have only had this issue happen twice over the time I have used LibreWolf. My favourite feature of LibreWolf is that it comes with uBlock Origin by default, so you can enjoy the internet without ads, which is a blessing. -

Tor browser

The Tor web browser is a browser that uses the Tor network to make your digital self look like anybody else who is using the Tor network. Most of the time the Tor web browser is used to access the 'dark web' which is the Tor network. The Tor browser can be used to access normal domains and is very good at masking who you really are. So if you are super privacy conscious, I would suggest the Tor browser.

I do not personally use the Tor browser because I am happy with LibreWolf, and I do not do much on the internet; I mostly just read and sometimes watch Youtube.

overview

Overall, if you use one of these two browsers, you should be pretty safe from being tracked across the internet. Before you try out one of these browsers, make sure you still have your previous browser installed, just in case you dislike it.

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