Online Security for Everyone: How to stay safe on the Internet and protect your personal information without being (too) paranoid

We spend more time online and conduct more transactions online each year. This means that we also have more and more personal information stored on the Internet every day. One seemingly small mistake can lead to a cascade of increasingly invasive access to your personal information even by amateur hackers. This can lead to identity theft, financial loss, online embarrassment, and loss of access to your email and social media accounts -- even your cell phone number. Additionally, if you are tired of having targeted ads follow you everywhere and marketing companies knowing more about you than your therapist, this book will address how to minimize the amount of information any one organization has about you.Some of the topics discussed are: -best free and paid email for privacy; -best web browsers and plugins for privacy; -keeping your social media secure; -password management without memorizing; -using a VPN; -secure your Wi-Fi router and home network; -search engines that don't track you; -avoiding phishing attacks, -remediating malware and ransomware; -securing Windows 10 and MS office; -using encryption without a Phd; -how to really delete files; -securing cloud storage and performing safe backups.There is also information on working in cafes and on public Wi-Fi, keeping your physical space private, and even how to keep your internet-based devices -- doorbells, TVs, thermostats -- from becoming a weak link in your home network security.This book focuses on computing devices running Windows and MacOS. THe main objective is for recognizing poor security practices and to prevent yourself from being an easy target. It is intended for the average internet user, but can be informative to the tech savvy as well. If you run a small or home business you have even more to gain from implementing the recommendations inside the book. You can implement just some of the these actions for increased privacy and security, or you can do them all and go full ninja.