With the advancement of technology, people, of different ages, spend more and more time in the virtual world. Almost every single thing can now be done online. Online communication is easily done through electronic mails, instant messaging applications, and online social media accounts. Online shopping is also trending nowadays. Indeed, gone are the days when couples line up in the cinema to catch a movie; with a cheap subscription on Netflix, couples now chill at home and watch their favorite movies on their laptops or phones. You will hardly see students reserving books in the library today as there are now online copies of these reading materials.

While it is true that internet has contributed in making lives much easier for students, employees, businessmen, and individuals, in general, it cannot be denied that the online world also has its downsides. That said, it becomes necessary for us to protect ourselves online as there are as many, if not more, bad guys there as there are in  real life.

Online Threats

• Avoid Getting Hacked

In the recent years, online hackers have successfully hacked government and business websites. These hacking incidents constitute social and legal issues as they have done great damages. Monetary losses, threats to national security, and the rise of terrorist attacks are among these cases. Hackers are indeed getting more and more skilled today and so, getting hacked online is very much possible when it comes to online social media platforms, online banking, etc. Thus, it is very important to protect ourselves online in order to avoid getting hacked.

• Avoid Identity Theft

Another major problem in today’s online world is identity theft. If you are not careful with your privacy settings online, chances are your identity can easily be stolen from you through phishing links. Usually, these identity theft cases involve the use of other people’s credit cards or withdrawing from financial accounts through the use of other people’s information. This is greatly related to online hacking since hacking is the medium by which identities can be stolen.

• Avoid Helping Stalkers

Several movies have laid out how stalkers watch over their victims and today’s way of life, stalkers are almost spoon-fed by potential victims. If people are not careful about what they post online, especially when it comes to their daily activities or whereabouts, they increase the likelihood of their stalkers being able to effortlessly track them.

• Avoid Getting Targeted

Whatever we post online will determine whether or not we can be potential victims of actual kidnapping or stalking. Hence, it is always best to avoid posting anything related to finances so as to to avoid getting targeted by those who kidnap people for ransom. Although this may seem like situations which only happen in movies; the truth is, these too can happen in real life.
Those mentioned above are the general reasons as to why we need to protect ourselves online. That said, you should start looking for recommended VPN providers in Pakistan or whatever location you particularly are in. Also, you better start customizing your privacy settings for your accounts as well.