Digital/Internet Privacy is a myth because laws in the USA are not as strong as other countries and our lobbyists (and the political systems in which they work) will make sure it stays that way. As such, companies do not even do the bare minimum to protect your data because they treat it as their property, not yours.
There are simple things you can do to protect yourself but do not get confused between hackers who want to steal your information and big corporations that you gladly hand over everything to each and every day.
After the Equifax breach did you lock your credit report? If you have no idea what I am writing about then go read up on the breach and then contact the three reporting agencies and lock your credit report. Not a temporary security lock but actually lock it so nobody can access it without your consent and passcode to unlock it.
Do you have mutli-factor authentication on every account (or at a minimum your email, health, and investment/bank accounts)?
What protection(s) do you have on your smartphone?
Have you checked the privacy settings on all your social media accounts?
Do you use a VPN and proxy service as mentioned above so nobody can track you?
How about ad-blockers and anti-virus software?
There is nothing you can do (currently) about what data is already out there about you and in some cases nothing at all such as with credit cards (every time you buy something that information is shared with about 1,000 different companies) but you should try some basic protections rather than do nothing at all.
You can also talk to your congressperson and senator and tell them to change the laws to make them stricter like the
European Union GDPR so companies stay out of your data and your life.
Americans simply have no idea what the government can do via the
Patriot Act (put into law by Bush, expanded and renewed by Obama, and you can imagine where Trump stands on the topic). The government spying on its citizens has no political affiliation.
So, unless you want to sell all your electronics and go live off the grid, stay informed, stay current, stay protected, and be mindful of what you share with anyone and everyone.
Before you think I am writing this post while wearing a tinfoil hat in my basement bunker, know that I have worked in the technology field for more than 25 years, hold a
CISSP, hold a
CISM, and just completed a
master's degree in information management with a focus on
information and cyber security via the #1 program in the field.
Happy (web) surfing!