by techwarn.com
When
you go online, are you sure that no one is watching on you? Is your government
secretly spying on you? Well, both are definitely possible, if not highly
likely. Your computer could be also infected with spyware while you know
nothing about it. Learn the techniques that third parties employ to snoop on
your online activities, and how to effectively protect against them.
Surveillance on behalf of the
government
It
is nearly certain that the government has its eyes on you. In the U.S., the NSA is collecting privatedata
legally in the following ways:
●
Data from your personal accounts, such as
emails, messages, or other data from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, YouTube,
Yahoo, Skype, and others.
●
Collaborating with other governments to tap your
internet traffic which passes through undersea fiber-optic cables.
●
Collecting records of mobile phone locations (up
to 5 billion a day) for several countries out of the U.S.
Here’s
another example, internet traffic is being intercepted in the U.K by the
Tempora Program under surveillance purposes by partnering with the country’s
telecom companies and the NSA.
Beware,
we are only aware of these programs because of leaked information. There may be
plenty of other secret programs spying on us in ways we are unaware of.
Weak internet connection security
You
may secure your devices and network with a firewall or security software and
your ISP probably also has an authenticated connection. But, are you sure your
data is taking a secure path while it’s transmitted over the internet?
If
you are not using a VPN, you may as well answer “no.”
You may know when your data packets have reached their
destination when you send them online, just like when you receive them. But,
you may not be aware of which networks your data is passing through on the way
to its destination, or if someone has made a copy of it. Therefore, if your
internet connection is unsecured, you might be being spied on by governments or other third
parties.
Malware
If
your computer has any malicious software, it could mean you are being spied on.
There are different types of malware which can steal data such as:
●
Spyware: This software aims to
steal data while also appearing as a useful service provider. One infamous example
of spyware was CoolWebSearch. This so-called
‘browser add-on’ would also steal your account credentials, bank details, chat
logs, and more.
●
Keyloggers: These programs record
each keystroke you make, which will then be sent to the third parties who track
your activity and steal your valuable info such as credit card numbers.
●
Adware: It is a website tracker
which sends your browsing history records to third parties who use the data for
targeted advertising.
Tracking cookies
Web
advertising distribution networks gather cookies from your internet browser
each time you see their ads. The problem is, your IP address or the unique
identifier of your browser is included in these cookies, and they can use them
to identify you.
Big
ad distributors have their ads on multiple sites and gather cookies every time
you see them. This helps them to track your activity better online and more
effectively target their ads.
Indeed,
there is a warning on many commercial websites given to their visitors about
the use of cookies to improve the users' experience. Whether you decide this
activity is spying or not depends on your perspective but tracking cookies can
surely be considered as a sneaky violation of privacy.
Protective steps you can take to
avoid spies
Here
are three simple steps you can take to reduce the chance of being tracked or
spied on.
●
The first and simplest thing to do is disable
third-party cookies on Chrome, Firefox, or any other browser you may use.
●
The second step is to install security software
on your devices to protect them from malware or spyware. Also, remember to keep
it updated.
●
Finally, you should get a VPN to encrypt your
traffic on the internet so your data packets cannot be seen by spies even if
they can intercept your data.
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