The House passed legislation this week that allows internet service providers to sell browsing information without their customers’ consent. Yup, that just happened. I am not a computer expert but I am geeky. So I have been researching what I, an everyday politically minded mom, can do about it. I figured my choices were:
1 Set up https viewing using browsers that support secure https encryption and although I use Chrome and Firefox for some browsing, we use apple devices and safari for most things. Google products (gmail, forms, docs) are all already encrypted and so is Facebook. If you decide to go this route Https Everywhere was recommended and I tested it out on with Chrome as my browser; it took minutes to set up.
2 Another option is to use a Virtual Private Network, VPN, to encrypt your data. This is great for WiFi connections or if you are using an untrusted ISP server. The https encryption relies on the webpage to provide encryption but not all websites offer https, using VPN means that I control the encryption. VPN also ensures all “traffic” info from my computer is encrypted not just the data.
Don’t worry it is super easy and only took a few minutes.
I went with Private Internet Access, along with good reviews from PC Magazine it was also recommended in a NYT article HERE
Sign up was easy and not expensive; I went with the yearly membership it covers up to 5 devices.
Once you sign up, you can download the app to your phones and iPads. You will see a little warrior man on your laptop to let you know that the VPN is on.
It was also super easy to set up on my phone. Just download the Private Internet Access app and enter your account sign-in information and you are done.
The arrow is pointing to an icon reading ‘VPN” so you know it is functioning.
What are you doing to protect your internet information?
Resources:
Protecting Your Digital Life in 8 Easy Steps, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/technology/personaltech/encryption-privacy.html
