How can I protect my personal data?

Why should you protect your personal data?

Protecting your personal data is fundamental in our digitized society, as it touches on various essential aspects of our daily lives.

Your privacy, for example, relies on the ability to keep certain information away from prying eyes, enabling you to maintain a certain autonomy over what is known about you and by whom. When our personal data is secure, we reduce the risk of becoming the target of cybercrimes such as identity theft or financial fraud, threats which can have devastating consequences on our personal and financial security (theft of bank information or card numbers).

Furthermore, having control over our personal data means that we can decide who has the right to see and use this information and for what purpose. This prevents third parties, such as marketing companies or social networks, from exploiting our information for their own interests without our consent, often for the purposes of targeted advertising or selling information to other parties.

This control and security also reinforces trust and online reputation, which are increasingly valuable in a world where the boundaries between the personal and the professional are becoming blurred. What’s more, complying with data protection laws is not just a matter of legal compliance, but also a way of showing respect for the privacy of others, reinforcing relationships of trust in the digital world.

In short, the protection of personal data is a crucial component of our integrity and autonomy in an interconnected digital space. It enables us to navigate, interact and participate in the digital society with the assurance that our rights and well-being are preserved.

A classic example of the use of personal information for targeted advertising concerns social networks like Facebook or platforms like Google. Let’s imagine you’ve searched for information on running shoes on Google, or watched videos about jogging on YouTube. These platforms collect information linked to your online activity: the searches you perform, the websites you visit, even the videos you watch.

Based on this data, the algorithms of these services deduce that you have an interest in running and, consequently, in associated products such as running shoes. Using this information, the platforms can then display specifically targeted ads for running shoes from different brands directly in your news feed, on social networks or on other websites you visit, via Google’s ad network, for example.

This targeting is made possible by the analysis of your personal data, which includes not only your search and browsing history but also, potentially, demographic information such as your age, gender, geographical location, and presumed interests. This use of personal data enables advertisers to present ads that closely match your presumed interests and preferences, thus increasing the likelihood that you will click on the ad or make a purchase.

How do you protect your personal data?

As users of digital tools and services, it’s important to know how to protect your personal data and keep it private. Here’s how to effectively secure this information against online risks:

Conscious and secure Internet use: Be careful when browsing websites, using online services, or downloading applications to your smartphone. Before sharing personal information or downloading software, check the reputation of the sites or applications concerned. Avoid using Google as your search engine or browser. Instead, use alternative solutions such as DuckDuckGo, StartPage, Qwant or Brave Search. Instead of using Google Chrome, opt for web browsers such as Brave, Mozilla Firefox, Tor Browser or even Safari.

Secure accounts and devices: Make sure all your devices (smartphone, computer) are protected by strong passwords, PIN codes or biometric recognition systems. Install a robust antivirus and keep your software and operating systems up to date to defend against online threats. Using VPNs to encrypt your Internet connection can also enhance your privacy, especially on public Wi-Fi networks.

Managing information shared on social networks: On social networks, be careful about the information you share. Adjust your privacy settings to control who can see your posts, photos and other profile information. Also be aware of the videos and photos you post, as they can reveal sensitive information about your private life.

Security practices for online communication: For your e-mail communications, consider using services offering end-to-end encryption. Be alert to phishing attempts to steal your personal data, such as credit card numbers or other identifying information.

Protecting your digital identity and financial data: Be careful when entering financial information online, such as your card number. Only use secure websites (recognizable by their URL starting with “https”) to make purchases or transactions.

Knowing your rights: find out about your personal data protection rights. The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you a number of rights to control and access the personal information that companies collect about you. The CNIL (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés) can be a valuable resource for understanding these rights and reporting any misuse of your data. Law and legislation, particularly at European level, to protect users is constantly evolving, so stay well informed.

By adopting these practices and using these solutions, you can improve the protection of your personal data on the Internet and reduce the security risks in your digital life.

Take data protection a step further:

For even greater protection of your private information.
As well as choosing services to protect your data, it’s also important to choose a device that does the same.
We all too often forget that our phone, which we carry with us at all times, is also vulnerable to the sharing of personal information.

An iPhone or Android smartphone sends several megabytes of your personal data to Google servers every day, even when it’s inactive.

Murena phones use the open-source “/e/OS” operating system, which is fully “deGoogized”: by default it doesn’t send any data to Google, doesn’t use any of their services or applications, and has been designed to deliver a pleasant, natural user experience.
A tracker-free phone with open-source applications compatible with all Android applications.

Murena also offers a Cloud space, where you can open a @murena.io account, enabling you to store, back up and retrieve your data securely on remote servers hosted in Europe.

Find out more about our /e/OS operating system.

More information on Murena products and services.