A new year brings new opportunities to improve your digital safety. If you haven’t already done so, now’s the time to take proactive steps to better protect your data, privacy, and identity—like setting strong passwords, using two-factor authentication, and keeping your software updated. Other privacy best practices include deleting any apps you use infrequently and limiting what you share on social media.
Online privacy is more important than ever but protecting it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. From strengthening your passwords to knowing what to share (and what to keep offline), simple habits can make a big impact on your digital life.
Here’s how to take control of your privacy and stay safer every time you go online.
Why is online privacy so important?
Any time you take an action online—whether it’s to share on social media, send an email, or make an online bank transfer— you leave a trail of information behind.
That’s why it’s important to know how to protect your internet privacy. By taking proper precautions, you can minimize the collection of your data and reduce the risk that your personally identifiable information (PII) will wind up exposed.
Today’s digital environment also includes widespread data-sharing practices, large-scale data breaches, and increasingly sophisticated scams powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Cybercriminals now use AI to create convincing phishing emails, clone voices, and even generate deepfake videos—making scams harder to spot than ever before. That makes personal vigilance more important than ever.
Tips to protect your privacy online
The good news is that there are many ways to protect yourself online.
Read on for our eight essential tips for maintaining and strengthening your online privacy:
Set strong passwords
We’ve written about setting strong passwords in the past, and our general advice is still the same: aim for a password that is long, complicated, and totally unique.
Avoid including personal details and common phrases in your passwords, and never use the same password twice. Bonus points if you use a passphrase and sub in symbols and special characters.
This goes for your Wi-Fi password, too. Make sure it’s just as strong as the passwords you use for your financial accounts or social media profiles. If you need to change your at-home Wi-Fi password, check your router's settings and follow the same password safety tips shared above.
If it’s getting difficult to remember all of your passwords, consider using a password manager to help with the heavy lifting. If you prefer to keep a physical list of all of your passwords, make sure you keep it in a safe place away from your computer.
It’s also a good idea to check whether your email address has been exposed in a known data breach and update any compromised passwords immediately.
Use multi-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication, also known as 2FA or multi-factor authentication (MFA), involves signing in with both a password and an additional verification method. This provides an extra layer of security, making it more difficult for scammers to access your information.
If you haven’t already, consider enabling 2FA on any important accounts.
You’re probably familiar with the most common type of 2FA, which involves entering both your password and a unique code sent to your smartphone or email address.
While this is a great first step, SMS messages can be easily intercepted. That’s why many security experts recommend using an encrypted app, such as Google Authenticator, to generate two-step verification codes.
Many major platforms also now support passkeys, a newer form of authentication that replaces passwords altogether with biometric or device-based verification. If offered, this is often the most secure option.
Update your phone and computer software
When your device pings you about software updates, don’t ignore those pop-ups. Instead, install them as soon as possible.
Software updates are how developers push out fixes or patches for known security flaws. Hackers also keep track of security flaws and may take advantage if they spot any vulnerabilities, so staying up to date is an important part of online protection. Check that your devices are receiving security patches automatically, especially browsers. Many attacks now exploit outdated browser versions rather than operating systems.
You may also want to enable automatic updates on smart home devices, routers, and connected devices, since these are increasingly targeted entry points for cybercriminals.
Delete unused apps and review privacy permissions for the rest
Sadly, when you download an app, you may be agreeing to share more than you realize. In the name of optimizing the user experience, app developers, as well as third-party services, may be granted access to your calendar, contacts, browsing history, and other bits of your data—often without your explicit permission.
This type of exposure can erode your privacy over time. Whenever an app, site, or advertiser who is storing your data is breached, it becomes more likely that a fraudster will be able to cobble together enough details to convincingly pose as you, which can lead to identity theft.
That’s why when it comes to apps, it pays to be a minimalist. If you have apps on your phone that you use infrequently, consider deleting them and using the browser page instead.
Some apps are unavoidable, though. If you want to adjust your privacy settings with a particular application, visit your account page to see the choices that are available. Or, search online for “privacy settings” and the app’s name to look for additional guidance. For example, Consumer Reports offers helpful guides for managing privacy on several popular sites, including Google, Facebook, and Instagram.
In addition, review app permissions on your phone at least once a year to limit access to your microphone, camera, location, and contacts to only what’s truly necessary.
Be smart about what you share online
Another helpful tip to protect your online privacy? Avoid oversharing on social media.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that Americans lost more than $3.8 billion to social media scams in 2024 alone, with 2025 losses already on pace to exceed $5 billion, according to the FTC.
Know that on social media, criminals may pose as an online friend or hack into an account of someone you know or follow your feed to gather details for a highly targeted attack.
Consider making your social media accounts private, limiting who can see your posts, and being cautious about sharing details like your birthdate, location, travel plans, or children’s school information.
Stay alert to phishing scams
Email and SMS phishing are also still popular tactics for scammers, so stay vigilant for the hallmarks of phishing. Think: blurry images, typos, and urgent calls to action.
Don’t be afraid to hang up on robocalls and avoid clicking on any links or opening email attachments from anyone you don’t know personally.
Be an advocate for internet privacy laws and best practices
In the United States today, there are no federal laws governing how data are gathered, stored, and shared. If privacy is something you’re passionate about, you can write to your representatives to advocate for fair internet privacy laws. You can, however, take advantage of state-level privacy rights, where available, to request copies of your data or ask companies to delete personal information they’ve collected.
In addition, consider how you can use your voice to spark a small change in your community—like, say, your school district’s approach to social media.
Use our identity protection service
With so much of our lives happening online, knowing how to protect your internet privacy can feel overwhelming.
That’s why we provide free online resources—like this article, and all the others in our Content Hub and Elder Fraud Center—packed with information to guide you.
If you’re an Allstate Identity Protection member, you also have additional resources at your fingertips, including 24/7 access to our customer care team, who can step in and help if fraud should occur. Even if the worst happens, we’ve got your back—and that’s a promise we’ll keep year-round.
