Six ways to browse the internet safely

Adults spend around 4 hours each day online, yet issues and disappointments associated with internet surfing are on the rise. Several frequent reasons have been identified including a lack of website compatibility, malicious software , virus threats and privacy concerns over intrusive advertising, disruptive pop-ups, and data security.

Fortunately, there are several methods to secure yourself and improve your online experience, no matter what type of computer you're using. Here are some of our best ideas:

Use ad blockers

Pop-up ads and the annoyance of advertisements following you around the internet have helped to propel the popularity of ad blockers. Ad blockers disable advertisements from appearing on websites, which appears to be a good thing until you consider how polarising this issue is and how significant an influence it may have on the sites you visit.

Because ad blockers, in general, are detrimental to the health of a website, they must be disabled. Using an ad blocker may be helpful, but consider whitelisting your favourite sites to help them stay afloat!

Turn on private browsing

Private browsing protects your personal information and restricts some websites from gathering data about your search and browsing habits. It will not shield you from your internet service provider, but it may help if you are buying presents for a significant other online.

Use a VPN

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. VPNs encrypt your data and internet requests before they go online, protecting you from prying eyes. The technology functions the same whether you connect to the internet using a cable, WiFi, or another method - the encrypted information is transmitted to the VPN server where it is decrypted before being forwarded on to the intended online destination.

The data is sent back in the same way it was originally collected, preventing sites, advertisers, and internet service providers from seeing what you're doing.

Use password managers

When websites are hacked, the number of password leaks increases, making it risky to reuse passwords acrossa variety of sites. To minimise the impact of password spills, use unique passwords on every website.

These should also be strong passwords that are long, random strings that include numbers and characters.

Enable “do not track” settings

Many browsers have a “do not track” feature which asks websites to not collect or track your browsing data.

However, what happens is determined by how the websites respond to the request — but most websites and web servers do not alter their behaviours, suggesting they are blind. Still, stating plainly that you don't want to be followed is a good first step.

Keep your plugins updated

Regardless of whether you use a computer, tablet, or smartphone, your primary connection to the internet is most likely a web browser.

Developers provide frequent updates to ensure that you can access the most up-to-date web has to offer — more than ever, websites are taking advantage of all of HTML5 video and audio's new capabilities, as well as advanced styling and increased speeds. Many websites have abandoned older versions of browsers owing to compatibility and security issues.