The Student’s Guide to Staying Safe Online

A student’s life is one spent studying, researching, and browsing the internet. It makes sense then for students to develop good digital hygiene, right?

Now, digital hygiene includes many things – rejecting cookies, sending do-not-tracks, or setting up VPN streaming for those delicious study breaks, for starters. However, the general idea is simply to use the internet conscientiously and safely. How?

Students can take a few measures to protect themselves when surfing the web:

Cyberbullying

Online harassment comes in many forms. It can come as releasing personal information, sending rude messages, or mocking online. 

Thankfully, there are many restrictions put in place to prevent this. If you are being targeted by someone online, you can report the post or account for bullying. This usually results in the offending material being deleted and the account penalised.

Additionally, it’s worth keeping your personal information confidential as much as possible. It is vital to keeping yourself safe online.

Do Not Track (DNT)

In your browser’s third-party cookies settings you can turn on “Do Not Track” (or ‘DNT’). This sends a request to the sites you visit, saying you would not like them to use your browsing history. Websites use cookies to track you for their analytics or to show you more relevant ads online. You always have the right to opt-out because trackers are there for your user experience.

That said, as DNTs are not regulated or legislated in any way, they tend to be ineffective. Regardless, you’d be surprised by how many websites still use them. Pinterest and Medium are a few of the companies that do accept them. You’ll want to turn on your DNT setting if you visit websites that use cookies regularly.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

The next step up from DNTs is VPNs, which lock sites out of your actual location and internet address (IP). It would help to consider using a VPN on Wi-Fi networks you don’t trust. This includes public Wi-Fi networks or hotel Wi-Fi networks when travelling. Using a VPN on these networks can help secure your personal and device data, helping reduce your risks of falling victim to hacking. 

Additionally, a VPN allows you to watch region-locked streaming content– like the special movies they have on Netflix in Japan or Peru.

Social Media Privacy

It’s common nowadays to think about your digital footprint. Think about things like which photos you’re posting, which videos you like, and who you’re following. After all, these things and more may be visible to everyone worldwide.

To practise good digital hygiene, you should err on the side of privacy when using social media. That means limiting who can see your Facebook posts to friends and selecting who can see your Instagram story. 

Also read: How to Promote Your Music Independently: Tips For Social Media & More

And above all else, you should treat your personal information like gold. That means keeping your phone number, address, and email private on all accounts.

Update Your Devices Often

Behind the scenes, tech companies like Apple and Android constantly battle malware. They’ll naturally pay the price if they allow hacks or leaks to happen with their products. So it’s in their best interest to protect you. 

But since it’s a constant battle, new updates are being made often. And you have to download these to enjoy the benefits. So, to keep your data safe, update all your internet-connected devices regularly – even devices like your PS5 or your Kindle.

Turn On Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication is using two or more checks to log in. For example, when your bank sends you a code to prove that you’re the one making a purchase, that’s MFA. You can, and you should add MFA to all your major accounts. This includes your email, social media, and things with your bank card attached– like clothing sites. With more checks on these accounts, a hacker cannot get in even if they somehow chance upon your password. 

Set Secure Passphrases

Secure passwords have become a forced reality for many sites. But you can still fall into the trap of using the same password too often. After all, if you use your main password to sign up to a shady website and your password is leaked, they can now access your email or worse. So besides using complex and hard-to-guess passwords, you should be using a variety of passwords and storing them somewhere safe.

Be Wary of Scams

Winning prizes on the internet is almost always too good to be true. In fact, the opposite goes for many other scam messages, too. For instance, your post office needing you to log in immediately seems far-fetched. Don’t they just take missed deliveries to the closest post office or try again another day? 

So, heed caution whenever you get a message trying to get an extreme emotional response from you. It’s likely a scammer trying to surprise and shock you into learning more. And when you do try to learn more, the link will steal your information, and you’ll have fallen prey to a cybercriminal. 

Conclusion

Students find themselves accessing upwards of hundreds of websites a day. Though most  websites and users are pleasant and kind, there are some bad apples to protect yourself from. 

So tighten the strings on your social media accounts, and be wary of the places you sign up to. On top of this, think critically about all the links that you click on. Do you know where they’ve come from and why they’ve been sent to you? Answering these questions in your head can help save you from a cyber scam.

If you keep on your toes, there is very little that a cybercriminal can do to get at you – it is the internet, after all.