European Data Privacy Day: 10 tips to keep your data safe

Logically, on the other hand, the first to protect our personal data from getting into the hands of third parties who could use it for malicious purposes must of course be ourselves. In today’s increasingly interconnected world, where the Internet and social networks have been playing a leading role for many years now, we must be aware and safeguard our personal and banking information to ensure that it is always secure.

To this end, it is very important to remember a number of basic tips which, today, are particularly important to go over once again.

1. Protect your data with a password

It is advisable to use different characters, numbers and upper and lower case letters and that the passwords that you can use in different portals or online platforms are not repeated. It is also recommended not to use the names of loved ones, dates of birth or other personal information that could be inferred.

2. Use an antivirus

It must be a complete and up-to-date antivirus. An antivirus not only protects against unsafe websites or fake emails, but also helps to protect personal information online and offline.

3. Make regular backups

This advice is aimed more at not losing your sensitive information than preventing it from being stolen, but it is still a particularly useful thing to do. Having a backup copy of the contents of your computer can be a great help if for some reason your device is lost, stolen or becomes unusable. It is best to store it in a different location, and away from the location of the computer from which the data originates.

4. Consider using an external hard drive

In some very specific cases, we recommend using an external hard drive that provides a higher level of security, protected with software or hardware that only allows access to your data with a secure password.

5. Install all necessary updates

Keeping applications and the operating system up to date is very useful since, among other objectives, possible software updates may be aimed at solving possible security problems that are detected when a programme has already been released to the market.

6. Take precautions when using public Wi-Fi networks

When we use a public Wi-Fi network, away from home or work, there is always the potential risk that the network itself is not secured and our data can be accessed. When using one of these networks, it is advisable not to carry out operations – such as banking transactions – that could compromise particularly sensitive information.

7. Familiarise yourself with VPNs

To avoid the problems of Wi-Fi networks, a new way of connecting to the Internet in a secure way is becoming more and more common: VPNs. They usually charge for use but ensure that no one can access your data.

8. Don’t open emails from suspicious senders

Email is a technique that is often used to gain access to our computers and data fraudulently. If you receive an email with a suspicious address, or even if it comes from known senders, it is not about or does not contain the usual information you would expect from such senders, do not open it. Pay special attention if you detect that the name imitates or resembles that of a bank. If in doubt, contact your bank to confirm that the mail is legitimate.

9. Protect your access data

Prevent your username, registration email or passwords from being accessible to other users and use passwords that are difficult to crack. 

10. Be careful with the information you post on social networks

Always remember that they are public and that depending on what information you post on them – texts, photos, videos… – these documents could, over time, reveal personal information about your day-to-day life that, at some point, could cause you problems.