We love the internet. Whether it’s bidding on childhood action figures on eBay while battling insomnia, emailing the latest Taylor Swift conspiracy theory to your best friend, or simply paying the electricity bill, being online makes our lives more fun, more connected, and a whole lot easier.
Unfortunately, as much as we love the internet, there are countless sneaky people out there trying to steal our personal information. Last year saw a record number of data breaches, with a 20% increase from 2022 to 2023. So if you live your life digitally (and you can’t help it, right?), you need to be mindful of your privacy.
We can start to lock down our information by finding out how secure the internet is in our own homes.
“You probably won’t be surprised to hear that this is a problem we have,” Alisa Hutnick, a privacy attorney at the Washington, D.C., law firm Kelley Drye & Warren, told Huffington Post podcast hosts Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson of “Am I Doing It Wrong?” “Typically it’s human error in how Wi-Fi is set up or managed.”
Press play to listen to the full episode and find out tons of tips and tricks for protecting your online privacy.
The first thing Hutnik advises us to do right away is to check our router settings.
“When you take it out of the box, don’t leave it on the factory settings because it’s exposed,” she warned. “It’s very easy for hackers to get in. The factory settings can be changed, including the password, so it’s very important that you set a very strong password and don’t leave it on the default settings.”
Next, make sure you are using the encrypted configuration:
“Usually somewhere [your settings]there [an option to choose] “It’s ‘WPA’ – Wireless Protected Access,” she said. “If you just enable it, it’s basically the same as not leaving your front door open, which is something you wouldn’t do in real life.”
Hutnik recommends checking more than just your router.
“Any time you buy any technology, look at the settings,” she says. “Usually there are privacy options and security options… It takes 60 seconds just to find out what those options are. Companies are getting better and better. We have a ton of new stuff. [privacy] Law — so they’re offering a new option. [These protective settings] It may not be the default, but you can turn it on.”
Hutnik shared a number of other powerful privacy tips, including this one-second tip:
“[I am] “As a privacy lawyer, I’m paranoid,” Hutnick said. “I [my webcam] If you are not using it intentionally, it is not covered. It could be malware that could take over your device. [and hackers could use your camera to see into your home].”
She covers her camera with a post-it or sticker when she’s not using it and always closes it when she’s done working on her laptop.
“These are just things to think about. Again, it’s about mitigating the risk. I’m not going to be hacked, but I don’t want anyone to be able to see into my room if I can.”
We also discussed how to make your passwords as strong as possible, the settings on her phone that she keeps turned off almost all the time, and more. Listen to the full episode above or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Be sure to subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” and never miss a single episode with the inside story on tipping, how to apologize or pay off credit card debt, how to find love online or overcome anxiety, online shopping tips, how to take care of your teeth and poop like a pro, secrets to booking and staying in a hotel, how to deal with angry people, cooking tips from celebrity chef Jet Tila, shocking laundry secrets, tips and tricks to get cleaner dishes and much more.
Are you doing it wrong and need help? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com.we might explore this topic in a future episode.
