1. Use a Fake Birthday for Web Signups
Most of the information web sites ask for when you sign up is unnecessary or unsafe. Identity thieves do damage with your birthday. Make sure you don't post both the date and the year of your birthday on anything public like Facebook. If required to use it for a web signup, use a different date. Never give out all your personal information.2. Change Your Gender for Less Annoying AdsChange the gender on your account. Setting your gender as male can help you escape the annoying diet or motherhood ads if you're a female.
3. Use HTTPS Whenever PossibleA super easy way to stay safe on the net, and a lot of services will use it by default with a quick settings tweak. Enable it on Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail by ticking a checkbox. Use the HTTPS Everywhere extension, which will use HTTPS on any site that allows it.
4. Use AdBlock, Even if You Don't Block Ads
AdBlock Plus, AdBlock extensions are great privacy tools, even if you aren't blocking ads. They can keep you protected from known malware spreaders, and even keep sites like Pandora from hijacking your Facebook login. You need is a few simple filters in place.
5. Save Yourself from IM Distractions and AnnoyancesThere's nothing more annoying (or distracting) than getting an instant message from someone you don't want to talk to. Luckily, there are quite a few things you can do to keep your IMs more private, like only allowing your friends to message you, go invisible on a schedule, or only show your online status to the Facebook friends you actually like.
6. Use Disposable Email Addresses to Avoid Spam
7. Create Secure, Easy-to-Remember PasswordsThere's a lot of tricks to creating easy, memorable passwords without making them easy to guess. We've shared many password-creation tricks before, like storing your passwords in a dictionary, or making sure you use multi-word phrases for better protection. Adding a space or two to your passwords can make it harder to break.
8. Keep Your Security Questions as Private as Your PasswordsStrong passwords are important, but useless if your "security question" is something anyone can answer. Use a formula to create a memorable, yet indecipherable security question.
