It’s hard to believe that today’s post marks the publication of our 500th Privacy Tip. What a milestone!

We started publishing Tips because readers kept asking me about ways to protect themselves from scams, how to keep up with the latest threats, and how to stay informed about emerging technology. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, so we will continue publishing the Tips and helping readers navigate the technology landscape—an environment that often feels like the Wild West, with new developments emerging every day.

To commemorate the 500th Privacy Tip, I thought it apropos to recap the top ways to protect your privacy from a cybersecurity perspective.

  1. Update your devices with patches as soon as you get the notice from the manufacturer. Patching is necessary to protect your device from vulnerabilities.
  2. Maintain strong passphrases and change them often.
  3. Use multi-factor authentication on all your online accounts but beware of multifactor authentication fatigue.
  4. Limit use of public Wi-Fi networks and use virtual private networks whenever possible.
  5. Obtain your free credit report frequently to catch any fraudulently opened accounts .
  6. Properly dispose of all electronic devices, including SIM cards.
  7. Beware of imposter scams.
  8. Strengthen children’s privacy.
  9. Don’t give personal information to a generative AI tool.
  10. Beware of, and protect yourself from, threat actors using AI in attacks.

We hope these Tips continue to educate and provide practical solutions for navigating the rapidly evolving risk landscape that technology and AI create in our lives. To dive deeper into putting these Tips to work, check out this guide. We look forward to to providing another 500 practical tips on how to stay safe.