If you hadn't heard, Tuesday, January 28 is officially Data Privacy Day – and I'm absolutely here for it. As VPN Editor at Tom's Guide, I spend my time reviewing the best VPNs and other cybersecurity tech, and personal privacy is a topic that's very close to my heart.
The thing is, none of these tools and apps will make much of a difference if you haven't got half a mind on proactively protecting your personal info in the first place. Of course, privacy apathy is real, and the world we live in doesn't make it easy to keep ourselves to ourselves. However, there are a few quick tricks that can really make a difference.
It's true that after you've covered the basics, it becomes exponentially more difficult to truly protect your privacy. However, I'm going to outline four realistic steps that anyone can take which will immediately help. If you want to take it further, the sky's the limit.
1. Decline third-party cookies
Cookies are small files that websites store on your device to help them perform certain functions. Common useful ways cookies are used are keeping you signed in on websites that you frequently visit, remembering your preferences – perhaps you like to browse your favorite news website in dark mode – and keeping items in your cart. These are known as "functional" cookies.
However, often bundled along with these are "third-party" cookies. These are much more of a privacy issue because by allowing these, you're giving your consent to the website to share or sell your data to these third parties. The more you allow this to happen, the more comprehensive a profile can be built up around your identity.
Due to the introduction of GDPR and similar laws in the US, websites now have to declare the use of third-party cookies, and offer a way for users to decline them. Many websites don't make it easy, forcing you to uncheck dozens of boxes, but there should be an option for you to do so. Declining these third-party cookies ensures your data isn't sold on to advertisers and data brokers.
Of course you could – and arguably should – go a step further and delete all your cookies after every session. However, the drawback to this is that you'll be logged out of every site, and lose all personalization. If that's not an issue, do it. If it is, consistently declining third-party cookies will still go a long way towards keeping your data out of the hands of money-grubbing marketeers looking to flip your identity for profit.
2. Use a personal data removal service
But what if you've gone all this time just clicking "Accept"? Now that you've given away all this information, surely there's no way back?
Well, that's not quite the case. The companies holding your data and selling it to advertisers are known as "data brokers," and by law, they have to delete your information if you request it.
There's a second problem here, though. There are hundreds of these companies, and you likely don't have the legal training – let alone the time – to effectively request your removal, and address the inevitable follow-ups as the brokers attempt to keep hold of your data.
That's where personal data removal services come in. These services work by requesting your personal data is removed en masse from hundreds of different data brokers. The process is largely automated, and they are effective for reducing spam and cleansing your digital footprint.
We recently checked out VPN provider Surfshark's own data removal service in our Incogni review, and ExpressVPN also bundles its own removal service in its basic plan. There are lots of others to choose from too, including Kanary, DeleteMe, Optery, Privacy Bee, Aura, and more.
3. Make all your social media profiles private
No, I'm not going to ask you to delete all your social media accounts – but making them private can do you a whole world of good.
Unless you make a living out of being an influencer, there are few reasons to having a publicly visible profile, but making it private has a host of benefits. First of all, you can post anything you like – within the site's rules, of course. This means that your boss can't snoop on you, and you can be your authentic self in your little corner of the web. You can also say goodbye to strangers and nameless bot accounts viewing your Instagram story.
There's more, though. While social media sites are rarely scraped for Google results, profiles may appear in searches. There will be a box to opt out of this, and this will help keep unwanted visitors at bay.
Making your profiles private also ensures that only people you want can know things like your travel plans, who you're spending time with, and when you might be out of the house. Not only does this keep your actions more private, but also reduces the likelihood of physical threats like targeted burglary.
4. Use burner emails for newsletters and promotions
Signing up to newsletters for discounts can save you tons of money online, but doing so could mean your inbox turns into a dumpster fire of daily messages from sites and stores you haven't visited in years. That's not to say that all newsletters are junk – our Tom's Guide newsletter is incredibly interesting – but it's unlikely you'll want more than a couple of daily briefings.
One answer to this is to have a dedicated "burner" email you use for potentially spam-inducing sign-ups. You can use this for everything you don't care about, while maintaining your primary inbox for the stuff you're genuinely interested in. If you want, you can sporadically abandon and remake the burner email, too.
Another option is to use Surfshark's Alternative ID. This creates a random email address that you can use to sign up for promotions, which are forwarded onto your main inbox. When you've got what you need, you can delete the temporary email address and never hear from the site you signed up to again.
Bottom line
Protecting your data privacy sounds like a chore, but small steps like these are easy to integrate into your daily routine and can make a significant difference.
Whichever of these you choose to follow up, just know that your personal information is arguably the most valuable commodity in the world – and you should be very careful when choosing who to share yours with.
