READING COMPREHENSION

How do you protect your online privacy (well, as much as you can)
Since few of us are capable of launching a full on one-man war against privacy invasion, we need to make our own individual
decisions about how much we want to share and how much we want to protect. While sharing some details such as health and
fitness data may provide some benefits, financial information and other private data falling into the wrong hands can have serious
consequences.

Here are some tips to help you protect vital personal information:

Delete Cookies
This is the most basic and one of the easiest ways to protect your information. Cookies allow websites to collect information about
your online activities. On most browsers, you can find privacy settings that block third party cookies. This protects your information
to a certain extent. However, it is not a foolproof solution. Companies these days are using new kinds of targeting methods like
fingerprinting which can be much tougher to avoid.

Log out each time you’re done browsing social media sites

This is another simple and effective way to protect vital information. You can use different browsers for different online services.
This decreases the amount of information that a particular website can collect about your online activity. For instance, only use an
online shopping site when you are not logged in on Facebook.
Take care of your smartphone’s privacy settings
As smartphones are becoming the most used electronic device across the globe, mobile targeting is growing by leaps and bounds.
Advertisers are using phones and apps to track your online activity like what you send, what games you play and more. You can
easily change the privacy settings on your android or iPhone to limit this kind of tracking.

Use advanced online tools

If you are willing to go the extra mile to maintain your privacy then you can learn how to use advanced security tools. Browser add-
ons like Disconnect.me help you block tracking requests. A search engine named DuckDuckGo makes a legal promise not to share
your personal information. Browsers like Tor allow you to surf the net anonymously.

Browse privately with in incognito mode

Every major browser has this facility. It allows you to prevent people with physical access to your computer from seeing your online
activity. Cookies are automatically deleted and browsing history cleared when the private window (incognito mode on Chrome) is
closed. Today, online targeting is the most common type of advertising and marketing. Every company that promotes its products
and services online is interested in your social and digital profiles. Currently, invasion of personal privacy encompasses monitoring,
categorising, analysing and studying our online behaviour to make predictions about our real-life behaviour. I believe it is unethical
and immoral. Websites like www.amibeingtracked.com give you details about whether your mobile carrier is tracking your mobile
activities. Have you used it? After reading all of this, you might want to start. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know who’s watching –
without them knowing you’re watching?
Answer the following questions based on the article:

1. How many tips does the article provide for online security?

2. What is the most basic way to protect information?

3. Why is it advisable to log out of social media sites before shopping?

4. What do the highlighted phrases, words mean in the contect of the article ? leaps and bounds, encompasses, extra mile.

5. How do you protect your data online? Give one example.