Privacy Protection Guide

Understanding Digital Privacy

Privacy is your right to control what information you share, who sees it, and how it's used. In the digital age, protecting your privacy requires knowledge and active effort.

What is Personal Information?

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Category	Examples	Risk Level
Direct Identifiers	Name, SSN, driver's license, passport	High
Contact Info	Address, phone, email	High
Financial	Bank accounts, credit cards, payment info	Critical
Medical	Health records, prescriptions, insurance	Critical
Biometric	Fingerprints, facial recognition, DNA	High
Digital Identity	IP address, device IDs, cookies	Medium
Location Data	GPS coordinates, check-ins, travel history	Medium
Behavioral	Browsing history, search queries, purchases	Medium

How Your Data Is Collected

Collection Methods

1. Information You Provide

• Account registration forms
• Profile information
• Posts and comments
• Messages and emails
• Survey responses

2. Automatically Collected Data

• Cookies: Track website visits and behavior
• Device Info: Operating system, browser, screen size
• IP Address: Approximate location
• Usage Data: Time spent, features used, clicks
• Location Data: GPS, WiFi, cell towers

3. Third-Party Data

• Data brokers purchasing information
• Social media pixels tracking across sites
• Cross-device tracking
• Public records aggregation

What They Do With Your Data

• Advertising: Targeted ads based on your interests
• Product Improvement: Analyzing usage patterns
• Personalization: Customizing your experience
• Selling Data: Third-party data sales (some companies)
• Research: Anonymized data analysis
• Law Enforcement: Complying with legal requests

Privacy Settings Mastery

Social Media Privacy Audit

Facebook Privacy Checklist

• Settings → Privacy → Who can see your future posts? → Friends
• Limit past posts visibility
• Who can send you friend requests? → Friends of friends
• Who can look you up using email/phone? → Friends
• Do you want search engines to link to your profile? → No
• Review tagged posts before they appear → On
• Review tags people add → On
• Limit who can see your friends list → Only me
• Turn off face recognition
• Limit ad tracking (Settings → Ads)

Instagram Privacy Checklist

• Private account enabled
• Activity status hidden
• Story sharing disabled
• Restrict unwanted accounts
• Limit who can message you
• Hide story from specific people
• Disable location services
• Don't allow embedding of posts

TikTok Privacy Checklist

• Private account
• Suggest account to others → Off
• Allow downloads → Off
• Comments → Friends only
• Duet/Stitch → Only you or Friends
• Who can view liked videos → Only me
• Personalized ads → Off
• Download your data to see what they have

Search Engine & Browser Privacy

Google Account Privacy

• Visit myactivity.google.com → Delete activity
• Turn off Web & App Activity
• Turn off Location History
• Turn off YouTube History
• Ads Settings → Turn off ad personalization
• Delete old Google accounts you don't use
• Review connected apps (myaccount.google.com/permissions)
• Set up 2-step verification

Browser Privacy Settings

Chrome/Edge/Firefox

• Enable "Do Not Track" requests
• Block third-party cookies
• Use HTTPS everywhere
• Clear browsing data regularly
• Disable autofill for sensitive info
• Review and remove unused extensions
• Use private/incognito mode when appropriate

Privacy-Focused Alternatives

Category	Standard Option	Privacy Alternative
Search Engine	Google	DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Brave Search
Browser	Chrome	Firefox, Brave, Tor
Email	Gmail	ProtonMail, Tutanota
Cloud Storage	Google Drive	Tresorit, Sync.com
Messaging	WhatsApp	Signal, Telegram
Maps	Google Maps	OpenStreetMap, Apple Maps (privacy-focused)

Mobile Device Privacy

iPhone/iPad Privacy Settings

• Settings → Privacy → Location Services → Review all apps
• Settings → Privacy → Tracking → Ask Apps Not to Track
• Settings → Privacy → Apple Advertising → Disable
• Settings → Safari → Prevent Cross-Site Tracking → On
• Settings → Safari → Block All Cookies → On
• Review app permissions (Camera, Microphone, Contacts)
• Disable Siri voice data collection
• Use Sign in with Apple for new accounts

Android Privacy Settings

• Settings → Google → Manage your Google Account → Data & privacy
• Settings → Privacy → Permission manager → Review all
• Settings → Location → App access → Set to While Using for most apps
• Settings → Google → Ads → Opt out of ads personalization
• Disable "Web & App Activity" in Google account
• Review which apps can run in background
• Use Private DNS (Settings → Network → Private DNS)

Advanced Privacy Tools

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

What VPNs Do:

• Encrypt your internet connection
• Hide your IP address
• Protect data on public WiFi
• Bypass geographic restrictions

Choosing a VPN:

• No-logs policy (verified by audit)
• Strong encryption (AES-256)
• Kill switch feature
• Jurisdiction in privacy-friendly country
• Good speeds and multiple servers
• Transparent company ownership
• Avoid free VPNs (often sell your data)

Recommended VPNs: ProtonVPN, Mullvad, IVPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN

Password Managers

Benefits:

• Strong, unique passwords for every account
• Encrypted storage
• Cross-device sync
• Auto-fill convenience
• Security alerts for breached passwords

Recommended: Bitwarden, 1Password, LastPass, KeePassXC (offline)

Browser Extensions for Privacy

• uBlock Origin: Ad and tracker blocker
• Privacy Badger: Learns to block invisible trackers
• HTTPS Everywhere: Forces secure connections
• Decentraleyes: Blocks CDN tracking
• ClearURLs: Removes tracking parameters from URLs

Managing Your Digital Footprint

Audit Your Online Presence

1. Google Yourself
   • Search variations of your name
   • Check Images, News, Videos tabs
   • Use quotes for exact matches: "Your Name"
2. Check People Search Sites
   • Spokeo, Whitepages, Intelius, BeenVerified
   • Request removal from each site
   • This is time-consuming but important
3. Review Social Media
   • What can strangers see?
   • Delete or hide old posts
   • Clean up tagged photos
4. Check Username Reuse
   • Use tools like Namechk or KnowEm
   • Find old accounts you forgot about

Minimizing Your Footprint

• Use different usernames across platforms
• Don't link accounts unnecessarily
• Regularly delete old accounts
• Be selective about what you share
• Use temporary email addresses for signups
• Disable "Sign in with Google/Facebook"
• Opt out of data broker sites
• Request data deletion from companies

Privacy Rights & Regulations

Major Privacy Laws

GDPR (Europe)

General Data Protection Regulation gives you rights to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate data
• Delete your data (right to be forgotten)
• Export your data (data portability)
• Object to processing
• Not be subject to automated decisions

CCPA (California)

California Consumer Privacy Act provides rights to:

• Know what data is collected
• Know if data is sold or shared
• Opt out of data sales
• Access your data
• Delete your data
• Non-discrimination for exercising rights

COPPA (USA - Children)

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act protects children under 13:

• Requires parental consent for data collection
• Right to review child's information
• Right to delete child's information
• Limits what can be collected

Exercising Your Rights

1. Find company's privacy policy
2. Look for "Your Privacy Rights" or "Data Requests" section
3. Submit request (usually via email or web form)
4. Verify your identity (they may require proof)
5. Wait for response (typically 30-45 days)
6. Follow up if no response

Common Privacy Mistakes

Mistake	Why It's Risky	Better Alternative
Using same password everywhere	One breach compromises all accounts	Unique passwords with password manager
Public WiFi without VPN	Data can be intercepted	Use VPN or mobile hotspot
Accepting all cookies	Enables extensive tracking	Reject unnecessary cookies
Oversharing on social media	Builds detailed profile for exploitation	Share selectively, use privacy settings
Not updating software	Leaves security vulnerabilities open	Enable automatic updates
Skipping 2FA	Password alone is weak protection	Enable 2FA everywhere possible
Using "Sign in with Google/Facebook"	Creates data connections between services	Create separate account
Not reading privacy policies	Don't know what you're agreeing to	At least skim key sections

Privacy Action Plan

30-Day Privacy Improvement Challenge

Week 1: Assessment

• Day 1-2: Google yourself, check what's public
• Day 3-4: Review social media privacy settings
• Day 5-6: Audit app permissions on devices
• Day 7: List all online accounts you have

Week 2: Passwords & Authentication

• Day 8-9: Set up password manager
• Day 10-11: Change passwords for important accounts
• Day 12-13: Enable 2FA on all possible accounts
• Day 14: Review security questions, update to nonsense answers

Week 3: Privacy Tools

• Day 15-16: Install privacy browser extensions
• Day 17-18: Set up VPN, test it works
• Day 19-20: Switch to privacy-focused search engine
• Day 21: Clean up old posts and photos

Week 4: Data Cleanup

• Day 22-23: Delete unused accounts
• Day 24-25: Opt out of data broker sites
• Day 26-27: Request data from major services
• Day 28-29: Set up privacy-focused alternatives
• Day 30: Review progress, establish ongoing habits

Quick Reference

Privacy Best Practices

• ✅ Use strong, unique passwords everywhere
• ✅ Enable 2FA on all accounts
• ✅ Review privacy settings quarterly
• ✅ Minimize data sharing
• ✅ Use VPN on public WiFi
• ✅ Keep software updated
• ✅ Read privacy policies (at least key sections)
• ✅ Use privacy-focused alternatives when possible
• ✅ Regularly audit online presence
• ✅ Think before you share

Resources

• Privacy Tools: privacytools.io
• Data Broker Opt-Out: optouttutorial.com
• Privacy Rights: privacyrights.org
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: eff.org
• Have I Been Pwned: haveibeenpwned.com