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How to Protect Your Privacy Online: Step-by-Step Guide for Full Security in 2025

Hackers and predators are always searching the internet for vulnerable users, and having your data fall into the wrong hands can have dire consequences. Fortunately, you can learn how to protect your privacy online using easy steps.

Wisdom SablahSamuel ChapmanGoran Nikolić

Written by Wisdom Sablah (Writer)

Reviewed by Samuel Chapman (Writer, Editor)

Facts checked by Goran Nikolić (Fact-checking editor)

Last Updated: 2024-09-30T21:13:36+00:00

All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.

How to Protect Your Privacy Online
Key Takeaways: Online Privacy Tips
  • To prevent your information from landing in the wrong hands, be careful of what you post, who you share information with, and what links you click on. 
  • Use a VPN to protect your digital privacy because it can encrypt and hide your online activities from third parties. 
  • Other helpful tools include a password manager, an antivirus and parental control apps.

Facts & Expert Analysis About Privacy Protection:

  • Overwhelmed by Passwords: More than two-thirds of Americans are overwhelmed by the number of passwords they have to remember, and about 45% aren’t sure if their passwords are strong enough 1.
  • Cybercrime Is On the Rise. Between 2022 and 2023, 34% of Americans suffered from credit card fraud, email or social media takeovers, or identity theft 2
  • The Decline of Cookies: Experts predict that more countries and states will enact strict privacy laws and regulations to protect the privacy of internet users. Cookies, which are used to gather private data, are also gradually being phased out. While these laws and practices will help, your privacy is ultimately your responsibility 3.

Here at Cloudwards, we strongly advocate using security tools whenever you go online, especially one of the best VPNs. In this article, we’ll explain why that’s so important and cover quick, effective tips on how to protect your privacy online.

As you browse the internet, you might leave sensitive digital trails of your activity. You could even hand over sensitive information to your internet service provider (ISP), businesses or bad actors without knowing. According to the FBI, cyberattacks are rising; the frequency of cybercrimes in 2023 was 10% greater than in 2022. 4

We’ve put together step-by-step guides for protecting your privacy on social media and online dating platforms. We also cover how to protect your child’s personal information online. First, we’ll flesh out why your online privacy is so crucial.

  • 05/08/2024 Facts checked

    We rewrote this guide and restructured it to focus on step-by-step guides that any online user can follow.

Why Is Online Privacy Important?

If you don’t protect your online privacy, your personal details might fall into the wrong hands. You might even give away your personal information without realizing it. Here’s a breakdown of the reasons why your online privacy is important.

Protect Your Privacy. Get Our Free VPN Guide Now!

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  • Gain a deep understanding of how VPNs function under the hood
  • Develop the ability to distinguish fact from fiction in VPN promotions
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How to Protect Your Online Privacy: Keep Your Personal Data Private

There are many ways to protect your personal data, as we highlight in our online privacy guide. That article focuses on helping you understand all the details about online privacy, while this one focuses on practical tips. The best steps to take will depend on your specific situation.

How to Use a Tracker Blocker for Your Privacy

Tracker blockers, often bundled with ad blockers, can prevent tracking while you browse. Many tracker blockers can be added as an extension to your browser to help you avoid tracking. We’ll show you how to set up a tracker blocker, using uBlock Origin.

  1. Add the tracker blocker’s extension to your browser

    Visit your tracker blocker’s website and download the right extension for your browser. You can also search your web browser’s store for your preferred tracker blocker. For example, we searched for uBlock Origin in our Chrome web store, as shown in the image below.

    chrome web store
  2. Add the tracker blocker to your browser

    Click on the button that lets you add the tracker blocker to your browser. For Chrome, you have to click “Add to Chrome.”

    add to chrome
  3. Start browsing

    You can now browse the internet knowing that your tracker blocker is working behind the scenes, preventing trackers from collecting data on you.

    start browsing

How to Protect Your Privacy on Social Media

How to Use a Password Manager for Privacy

We recommend using a password generator to create and store strong passwords for all your social media accounts. Our Dashlane review features a good option, or you can browse the other choices in our best password manager list. Here’s how to generate hard-to-crack passwords using a password manager for social media sites like Facebook. 

  1. Download and Install a Password Manager

    Go to your preferred password manager’s website and download its app on your device. Most password managers have easy-to-install browser extensions. For instance, as shown in the image below, you can download and install Dashlane just by clicking “add to Chrome.”

    download dashlane
  2. Generate a Strong Password Using the Password Manager

    When making a new social media account, click on the password manager’s icon to let it create and store a password for you. Click to accept the password manager’s suggestion. If you already have an account, you can save the current password to your password manager and subsequently change it.

    password manager icon
  3. Find the “Edit Password” Page of Your Social Media Site

    Go to the “settings” page of your social media account and locate the “change password” section. For Facebook, select the “account” page at the top-right corner of your screen and click the following: Settings & Privacy >> Settings >> Password and Security. You can now allow the password manager to suggest a new password.

    change facebook password
  4. Use the Password Manager to Log In Each Time

    When you open your social media login page, you’ll see the password manager’s icon in the entry bar, as we demonstrate with Dashlane in the image below. Click the icon and select your login details to access your account.

    log into facebook

How to Protect Your Kids’ Privacy Online

How to Use a Parental Control App for Privacy

Let’s go through how to use a parental control app, using Qustodio as our test case. For more information, we’ve got a full guide on how to protect your kids online.

  1. Sign Up for a Parental Control App

    Subscribe to and download a parental control app on both your device and the one you’ll use to monitor your kids. You can read through our best parental control apps list to select one. If you’re in a hurry, we recommend Qustodio, which has lots of features to help you control your children’s digital behavior — it can even monitor text messages.

    qustodia homepage
  2. Add a Child to Your Account

    Set up your child’s profile by adding their name, age and other personal details. You can also choose the device you’ll use to control your child’s screen time.

    add a child
  3. Choose Your Preferred Child Control Settings

    Click on the device you’ve added and scroll to the “rules” section. There, you can customize the restrictions you want to set for each child.

    qustodio webapp

How to Protect Your Privacy on Online Dating Platforms

How to Use an Antivirus for Online Dating Privacy

Dating sites can also be hotspots for malicious links and downloads. An antivirus scans your device and apps continuously, and it alerts you if any suspicious files or links exist. Before opening Tinder, Bumble or eHarmony, and especially before clicking any links within those apps, have one of the best antivirus software running in the background.

Here’s how to do that.

  1. Download and Install an Antivirus Software

    Sign up for a secure antivirus like Bitdefender — which you can read about in our Bitdefender Antivirus review — by going to the website and creating an account. Then, download the installation package for your device. Follow the installation prompts to set up the antivirus on your device.

    bitdefender antivirus
  2. Turn On Real-Time Protection and Run Scans

    Make sure you activate Bitdefender’s real-time protection to alert you of dodgy files or links on any dating site. To be safe, run periodic scans to ensure your device is free from malware and viruses.

    bitdefender scan

Best Way to Protect Online Data

How to Use a VPN for Privacy

The steps below demonstrate how to use a VPN service.

  1. Download and Install a VPN

    Head to a VPN provider’s website and subscribe to a plan. Most VPNs’ long term plans offer the best value for money. Then download and install it on your device. Most VPN services have apps for all the major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. We recommend NordVPN because it has the best security and privacy features — see our NordVPN review to learn more.

    nordvpn homepage new
  2. Connect to a VPN Server

    Open the VPN app and connect to a server. Enter a specific country in the search bar, or scroll down through the list of countries under it.

    nordvpn usa
  3. Start Browsing

    Open your browser and surf the internet without worrying about the safety of your data. Thanks to the VPN connection, everything you do is now encrypted. A VPN also has the added benefit of changing your location so you can access other versions of streaming services like Netflix — which is one of our favorite Netflix hacks.

    stream the upshaws on netflix

Final Thoughts

Protecting your online privacy depends on the apps you use and the choices you make. Thankfully, there are many tools designed to help you stay safe online and to keep you out of data collection sites. Some of the helpful tools include antiviruses, password managers and parental control apps.

A VPN is one of the best, as it encrypts and anonymizes your traffic. We recommend NordVPN — Boost your online privacy instantly — join NordVPN with a 72% discount and 30-day money-back guarantee.

Have you experienced a cyberattack before? Have you ever sensed someone spying on your online activities? Which are your go-to tools for cybersecurity? Are there any tools you’d want to add to this list? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments section below. As always, thanks for reading. 

FAQ: Internet Privacy Safety Tips

Sources:

  1. Pew Research Center – How Americans View Data Privacy
  2. Pew Research Center – How Americans Protect Their Online Data
  3. Google Blog – Privacy Sandbox Tracking Protection
  4. FBI – Internet Crime Report
  5. TrendMicro – Fake Dating Apps Found as Top Source of Malware in Africa
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