We are living in a digital era, and we all need a strong online presence. We are more connected with each other because of social media. The online shopping trend has revolutionized digital trading. However, all these benefits of digital life come with weak privacy and misuse of our personal information. More and more data is being collected from us, and it can lead to serious consequences.
Journalists require special attention in this regard because they are more at risk of cyber attacks. They play an integral role in maintaining the privacy and independence of the press. Their devices often contain very sensitive data that can be used in the particular interest of government agencies and special organizations. That is why journalists are more vulnerable to surveillance and unethical hacking.
To protect their data from piracy, journalists often utilize various cyber protection techniques.
5 Data Security and Privacy Tips from Journalists
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Anonymize and encrypt your data with a VPN
Public WiFi connections are not encrypted. Such WiFi connections can lead to cyber attacks, and you can lose very personal and highly sensitive information. It is not a great idea to connect with public WiFi without using data encryption software. This is where a VPN(Virtual Private Network) comes in handy. With a simple VPN download, you can hide your IP address, and ensure your data is encrypted. That means the hackers and third-party software cannot see your sensitive data. Also, Journalists who work in war zones or restricted regions can bypass strict censoring by using a VPN.
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Remove the metadata, cookies, and navigation history
Hackers are very smart, and they know ways to collect maximum information from a device. A piracy attack on your data can destroy your career, or it can cause serious harm to others.
A users metadata, navigation history, and cookies can provide tons of sensitive information that can be misused. You should regularly clear these details from the browser of your mobile phone. It will prevent hackers from getting access to your personal information.
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Use secure backups
The most disgusting fact about cyber attacks is, you can lose your precious data. The hackers not only steal your personal data but may also destroy it so that you cannot use it. This is especially important in the case of journalists. That is why you should use secure backups for your important data. You can use encrypted cloud services to virtually secure your data. An external hard drive is imperative to secure your data in a physical form.
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Use powerful passwords
If your data is not encrypted and password-protected, there is no doubt that it can easily be stolen. Moreover, stolen information can be used for unethical means that can act as a strong blow to your professional career. To save yourself from data piracy, you should use strong password and data encryption software.
Always use unique and strong passwords for every sensitive log-in. You can use an extra layer of protection by securing all the log-in details with another master password. You can use data encryption software to encrypt your complete device. It will further prevent the entry of third parties.
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Encrypting your conversation:
Your daily conversation can provide a lot of information to data hackers and cyber pirates. Even the most secure email services are not fully secure. This can cause leakage of crucial information and cyber crime. To prevent data piracy, you should use encrypted conversation. It would be best if you used data encryption software that can encrypt Emails, instant messages, and even audio/video conversations.
Conclusion:
We have discussed five important ways to secure our data from piracy and hacking. We live in a digital era, and we share a lot of data online. Our data can easily be stolen and subject to unethical use. It is essential to take necessary measures for the protection of data from hackers and cyber pirates. We should learn a few things from journalists about cyber-security.
