Data Privacy Day 2022: 5 easy tricks to stay digitally protected

As the COVID-19 pandemic brought world more connected via the online platform, data privacy becomes a concern and hot topic in today's tech-savvy scenario.

January 28 is observed across the globe as Data Privacy Day (DPD) with the objective of sensitizing individuals about privacy practices and principles. It is a day that looks forward to encourage everyone to own their privacy responsibilities to create a culture of privacy.

Incidents like the Bulli bai app have created the need to stay alert and fight bold against cyber crimes. Here are some easy ways to ensure protection from online frauds.

1. End-to-end encrypted backup:

On WhatsApp, users can enable to experience the end-to-end encryption to protect their chat backups on iCloud or Google Drive. Thus, considering that the WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted, something that the Facebook-owned company has always maintained.

End-to-end encryption means that no one apart from the sender and receiver can read the messages, not even WhatsApp.

2. Two-Step verification: This feature lets users add an extra layer of security to their end-to-end encrypted messaging account via setting up of a a numerical code (PIN number) to verify before opening the chat account. This is believed to benefit, especially, in case of SIM card being stolen or phone being compromised.

3. Face ID lock:

Most keep a number or pattern lock on their smartphones, however additional features are available in a wide variety of phone manufactured by leading companies, like Apple, Samsung, Google and others, the screen fingerprint sensors uses ultrasound to build image of people’s fingers and keep data locked.

4. Disappearing messages:

Recently, similar to Instagram and Snapchat, WhatsApp launched this feature to let users send messages that disappear after a single view or so. Once enabled in settings of chat, messages being sent in the individual or group chat will disappear after seven days, the ‘view once’ feature makes photos and videos disappear soon after the receiver opens it once - giving users even more control over their privacy. However, Telegram allows self-destructing messages that leave no trace even on its servers.

5. Forward messages: Some messaging apps flood with forwarded texts in various groups, its better to stay-off those content. Some of which could be fake information, at times even malicious.