Happy Data Privacy Day!

Hope you got that special someone something nice.

A lot has changed since then.

And it’s getting increasingly harder for you to keep it from them.

That may seem pretty scary.

On the off chance you are looking for a data privacy gift, we’ve got some great ideas.

How about apassword manager,security keyorVirtual Private Networksubscription?

In the meantime, here are a few easy ways to safeguard your data and privacy.

How to keep your private data private

Set good passwords.Long, random and uniquepasswordsare best.

Don’t be tempted to recycle an old one, even if it’s great.

Yes, that can be a lot to deal with.

That’s wherepassword managerscome in.

They’ll do the remembering for you.

From there, it’s possible for you to take a largely hands-off approach.

Gone are the days when security experts would recommend they be changed every 90 days.

Now, the emphasis is on length and uniqueness.

Unless they’re compromised, you’re free to largely set them and forget them.

That’s still a big pain for a lot of people.

Companies likeAppleandGooglealready use them.

This will go a long way toward protecting you if your password gets compromised.

Note: Avoid using SMS messages for two-factor authentication.

And if criminals take over your phone number, they’ll get that text message too.

That’s because you just never know where it might end up.

This also goes forartificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT.

Keep your personal details out of them.

Consumers also can limit their data exposure while online shopping by checking out as a guest.

That said, consumers need tobe cautious when choosing one.

Keep an eye on your accounts.

Monitor your bank and credit accounts for potentially fraudulent charges.

If you don’t expect to be applying for credit anytime soon,freeze your credit reports.

Even then, be careful what you disclose, especially when it comes tosocial media quizzesand other games.

Think twice before you do it.

Not using an app anymore?

Delete it and take away its access to the data you agreed to share when you first downloaded it.

Update everything.This doesn’t just apply to your operating systems and antivirus software.

Your router, apps and all of those smart devices also need to be up to date.

Patches to fix bugs and security problems can’t help you if you don’t install them.

If you don’t know how to modernize your router, call your ISP or check online.