Smartphone users are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of privacy in an age when companies are collecting personal data for a range of purposes. If you want to keep prying eyes away from your search and browsing data, using incognito mode is a start but there is more you can do. Alcatel offers some tips about how you can protect your personal information when browsing the web.
1. Private browsing mode
Most browsers offer a private or incognito browsing mode, which means the browser doesn’t remember your activity. To browse the web privately in Incognito mode on the default Google Chrome browser on an Android device, tap More and then New Incognito tab.
While active, Chrome won’t save your browsing history, cookies and site data, or information entered in forms. Your activity isn’t hidden from websites you visit, your employer or school, or your internet service provider. This is handy if you share your device with others and don’t want them to snoop in your browsing history.
2. Use a privacy-centred browser
If you really care about your privacy, a privacy-centred browser like Tor, DuckDuckGo, Brave or Firefox Focus can offer your further layers of protection for your personal data. Most of these block common Web trackers, so advertisers can’t follow you around the web. Tor Browser takes things further by preventing someone watching your connection from knowing what websites you visit.
3. Consider using a VPN app
A VPN, or “virtual private network”, protects your internet connection and privacy online by creating an encrypted tunnel for your data and hiding your IP address. Popular VPN apps for Android include NordVPN and ExpressVPN. You can use them to browse in peace while keeping your IP address and location private.
4. Use a private search engine
DuckDuckGo and Startpage are examples of privacy search engines that let you search anonymously with no collecting or selling of your search history and no third-party ad trackers or cookies.
5. Get a private email client
Google tracks you as closely in Gmail as it does on search, Chrome and its Android apps. Take back your privacy with an encrypted email service like ProtonMail. It’s a secure email app for Android that brings easy-to-use email encryption to your mobile device.