Learning how to protect your privacy online doesn't call for technical skill. Most of it comes down to a few everyday habits: sharing a little less, keeping track of which apps can see what, and giving each account a strong password of its own. None of this has to happen all at once.
This guide covers those habits in plain terms, adds some data privacy tips for reading privacy policies, and explains how one money app, PennyGuard, describes the accounts you connect to it.
How to protect your privacy online by sharing less
When it comes to how to protect your personal information, a natural first step is to share less. Each form, profile and app you fill in holds a small piece of information about you. Fewer pieces in fewer places means less to keep track of later.
A few easy ways to share less:
- Leave optional fields blank when a form doesn't need them.
- Think twice before posting your birthday, home address or travel plans on public pages.
- Use a separate email address for shopping and newsletters, if that feels manageable.
- Turn down offers to save your details on a website you won't visit again.
None of these steps takes long, and you can add them one at a time as they come up in daily life.
Review which apps have access
Over time, apps gather permissions to things like your location, your contacts, your photos or your accounts. A review now and then keeps that list in line with what you actually use.
On a phone or tablet, the settings usually show which apps have which permissions. If an app has access it doesn't seem to need, you can usually turn that permission off. For apps connected to your bank or email, the app's own settings are the first place to look, and your bank or email provider may keep a list of connected apps as well.
It can help to ask one question about each app: do I still use this? If the answer is no, removing the app, or at least its access, is a tidy way to shrink the list. Apps you installed for a single trip, event or purchase are often the easiest ones to let go.
Strong passwords and two-step sign-in
A strong password is long and used for one account only. Giving each account its own password helps keep a problem with one account from spreading to the others. A short phrase made of unrelated words is often easier to remember than a jumble of symbols.
Keeping track of many passwords is a real chore. A password manager can remember them for you, or a notebook kept somewhere safe at home works for many people. If you write passwords down, keep the list away from the computer and out of sight of visitors.
Two-step sign-in adds a second check after you type your password, often a code sent to your phone or shown in an app. Many email services, banks and shopping sites offer it in their security settings. Your email account is a sensible place to start, since email is often how other passwords get reset.
Shared and public devices
Computers at a library, a hotel or a relative's home are handy, and they call for a little extra care. Other people may use the same machine after you, so it helps to leave nothing of yours behind.
- Sign out of every account when you finish, instead of simply closing the window.
- Say no when a shared computer offers to remember your password.
- Save banking and other money tasks for your own device when you can.
- On your own phone or tablet, use a screen lock so the device asks for a code or fingerprint before it opens.
These small habits help keep your accounts tied to the devices you control.
Data privacy tips for reading privacy policies
Privacy policies can be long, and it is fine not to read every word. Some begin with a short summary, which can be a helpful starting point. A few habits make the rest easier to get through:
- Look for the sections on what the company collects and how it uses that information.
- Look for a section about your choices, such as how to ask questions or make requests about your data.
- Note how to contact the company about privacy.
- If something isn't clear, send the company your question.
Reading the policy before you connect an account takes a little time, and it gives you a clearer picture of what you are agreeing to. Many ways to protect personal information online come back to this same idea: knowing who has your information and why.
A small privacy routine
Habits are easier to keep when they have a regular place in your week or month. A routine can be as simple as this:
- Glance at your bank and card statements for anything you don't recognize, and ask your bank about it if needed.
- Check one device's app permissions and turn off anything you no longer need.
- Change or strengthen one password you have been meaning to update.
- Look at the list of apps connected to your accounts and remove any you have stopped using.
You don't need to do all of these every time. Picking one or two and rotating through the rest works just as well. A note on the calendar can serve as the reminder.
Where PennyGuard fits
PennyGuard calls itself an AI assistant for your wallet. On the accounts you connect, it says the following:
- Your card or bank. Cards and bank accounts link through Plaid with read-only access. PennyGuard can see transactions and has no way to move money, and it never sees your bank login.
- Your email, if you choose. Adding Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo is up to you. PennyGuard reads a connected inbox only to find subscriptions, bills and charges, and it doesn't keep the full content of your emails.
- Emails sent for you. Any email PennyGuard sends from your account is one you asked for in the app.
- Your choices. You pick the card, bank and email accounts to connect. Disconnecting one is done in your account settings.
If Plaid supports your bank, PennyGuard can work with it, and you will see during setup whether that is the case. PennyGuard's security page and privacy policy set out how it handles data. If you would like to read PennyGuard's approach to data in its own words, the security page is a good place to begin.
Marisol's shopping inbox
Marisol is 61 and has kept a separate email address for online shopping for years. Receipts, order updates and store newsletters go there, and her personal inbox stays quieter.
Before connecting anything to PennyGuard, she reads the privacy policy. Then she connects her debit card through Plaid. Since email is optional, she thinks about which inbox, if any, to add. She picks her shopping address, because that is where her receipts and renewal notices already arrive, and leaves her personal inbox unconnected.
She writes herself a short note listing which accounts are connected to PennyGuard and that she can disconnect any of them in her account settings. She tucks the note in the same folder as her list of online accounts, so everything about her connections sits in one place. It fits the way she already handles her online life, one small choice at a time.
FAQ
What are some simple ways to protect my privacy online?
Share less on forms and public pages, review which apps have access to your devices and accounts, and give each account a strong password of its own. Turning on two-step sign-in where it is offered and skimming privacy policies before you agree also help. Small steps taken over time add up.
How do I protect my personal information online?
Start by thinking about where your information lives: accounts, apps, forms and public profiles. Keep that list short, use separate passwords, and check app permissions now and then. If a request for your information arrives out of the blue, contact the company directly using details you already have.
How do I ask a company to delete my data?
Start with the company's privacy policy, which often explains how to make a request about your data. If the policy is unclear, contact the company's support team and ask how to go about it. Keep a note of the date you asked and any reply you receive.
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