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Article || Be Safe Online

Internet safety or online safety or cyber safety or E-Safety is trying to be safe on the internet. Given that we spend such time online, it's good to be aware about good practices and what not to do on internet, that can potentially put you at a risk of a cyber attack.

These are a few basic points, purely compiled for the benefit of people online. 

1. Pay attention to where you go.

You wouldn't enter a potentially risky area in real life. Don't do this online as well. While visiting websites please ensure you see the lock next to the URL or HTTPS preceding the website name. One of the best indicators is whether a site is running on HTTPS, which means the site has a security certificate that safeguards visitors' personal information by encrypting their data. You can verify if a site runs on HTTPS by double-checking the beginning of a URL in the address bar

People are sometimes tempted by dubious content and may let their guard down when searching for it. Please keep in mind that your safety is of important. 

Also, be on the lookout for websites that have misspellings or bad grammar in their addresses. They could be copycats of legitimate websites.

Additionally, to above do not visit a website that you've learned from a anonymous source. I usually type the website name on Google and see of there are known issues on known websites about it.

2. Setting strong passwords

A few tips to this end :

• never keep same passwords for any two accounts. For example, your mail and wattpad. If one is compromised the other may also get compromised. 

• Don't have any personal info like birth date, mobile number or name, stuff like that as your password. 

• Keep long passwords. The logic is that long passwords take longer to  hack. (12 characters and above should do good) and of course, keep it a good mix of alphabet numbers and special characters.

3. Be aware of strangers online

I know it's tempting to meet like minded people online. But please be very aware of the information you share about yourself. Do not share your personal details online, like mobile number, address, full name, email etc.

It's best to restrict the audience that can see your profiles on various social media. 

In case you have shared something that can be categorized as sensitive personal info then, please go back and delete it.

I would advise you to not share your personal details online with strangers. Especially stuff like mobile number, age, address.

4. Don't click!

Links in email, tweets, posts and online advertising are often how cybercriminals try to compromise your information. If it looks suspicious, even if you know the source, it's best to delete or – if appropriate – mark it as junk.

It's always preferable to directly type in the address of the website in a new tab and open the link than click on anything on the mail/ad/post.

5. Precautions.

Here are some precautions you can take, in my opinion

• Do not allow sites to show you personalized ads. They start monitoring your activity then.

• Don't share your location with all websites. Not required!

• Don't allow websites to save your personal info. Especially the ones that you are wary about.

6. Miscellaneous Precautions 

• Keep a strong password for your wifi router. This is very very important!

• Be careful of what you download and from where you download. Please don't download any app from outside the default play stores.

• Always be wary of offers that sound too good to be true or ask for too much information.

• Free downloads, online services or Wi-Fi networks are the most common sources of online security problems. If you decide to go for a free solution, make sure it has a reliable reputation: research the name of the service or software.

7. Wattpad and Online Fiction related.

• A lot of websites for reading free books have come up. Please visit only reliable ones. There are many out there that are mirrors of the original websites. Don't visit or publicize about such websites.

• Be wary of where you publish your works. Some offers can be very tempting but remember safety comes first. 

• Writers, please don't fall trap to strangers online promising to publish your work if you give them the manuscript or asking for money to publish your work in Anthologies, it could be a potential scam to collect your personal details or take money from you.

• Report inappropriate content you come across on Wattpad. The Wattpad Community is very helpful and supportive and immediately removes such content. Please refer to the Wattpad guidelines for what is considered as inappropriate on Wattpad. It's good to know.

https://support.wattpad.com/hc/en-us/articles/200774334-Content-Guidelines

• Use the "Mute" option if needed. If an unknown account follows you or if someone sends you inappropriate message on Wattpad, you can use the "Mute" option, it's as good as blocking someone. They won't be able to access your profile or send you messages. 

I hope these common tips help you all. If you have any point that I can add here, please comment down, I will add it if appropriate. 

Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I will try my best to answer your query. 

Let's all be safe online and make a healthy reading writing community.

-Anami!♡