Top 10 Tips for Safer and More Private Online Shopping

How online shopping puts your digital privacy at risk

Online shopping seems like a pretty innocuous activity, right? And for the most part, it is. You browse, see an item you like, add it to the basket, and “checkout” all from the safety, warmth, and comfort of your own home.

Physically, you're fine, but what about digitally? If you're a Hoody user, then you'll already know that digital privacy is hugely important. But what you might not know is how online shopping puts it at risk. Well, read on!

Data Collection

Online retailers often collect a wealth of personal data from customers. This can include your name, shipping address, email address, phone number, and even your payment information. They use this data to process your orders, provide customer service, and offer personalized recommendations. While most legitimate retailers have privacy policies in place to protect your information, there's always a risk of a data breach or misuse.

No company is immune to data breaches. They can occur through cyberattacks, human error, or other vulnerabilities. And when they do, they often result in the theft or exposure of personally identifiable information (PII), such as names, addresses, social security numbers, or financial details. Criminals can misuse this data for identity theft, fraud, or other malicious purposes.

Third-Party Trackers

When you visit an online store, it's not just the retailer that's observing your behavior. Third-party tracking tools and cookies are often embedded in websites to collect data for marketing and targeted advertising purposes.

These trackers can follow you across the internet, building a profile of your interests and preferences based on the websites visited, search queries, and even personal interests. It not only encroaches upon individuals' private lives but the sheer amount of data collected means an even greater risk of data breaches.

Insecure payment methods

Shopping online means trusting your payment information to every website you choose to purchase from. If that website or its transaction platform lacks proper encryption or security measures, hackers can intercept your sensitive data. Then they can go online shopping with your details!

Phishing scams

Phishing is a favorite tactic employed by cybercriminals to try to trick you into handing over your personal information. They may create fake websites and online stores that closely mimic the appearance of well-known, trusted e-commerce platforms. They use convincing logos, designs, and web addresses to deceive visitors.

Another phishing tactic is to send victims unsolicited emails, text messages, or social media messages that appear to be from a reputable retailer. These messages may contain enticing offers, discounts, or promotions to lure recipients to a fake site or to click a malicious link.

Top 10 tips for safer and more private online shopping

Now you know the online shopping privacy issues, it's time to look at what you can do to protect yourself. Follow these top tips to reduce the risks and continue to shop confidently online.

Shop from trusted retailers

Stick to well-known and reputable online stores. Trusted retailers tend to invest in robust cybersecurity measures to protect customer data. They will use encryption, secure payment gateways, and follow industry best practices for data storage. Shopping from reputable sources reduces the risk of your data falling into the wrong hands through data breaches or cyberattacks.

Of course, you don't have to stick to the big-name brands. Smaller retailers can be trustworthy too. Just do a little homework before you commit to handing over your details. Do a search for the company, and check for customer reviews and ratings to ensure their legitimacy.

Use strong passwords and enable 2FA

Almost all online stores require potential customers to register their email addresses and create an account on their website. Make sure to use strong, complex passwords for all of your online shopping accounts. We're talking 10-14 characters with a mix of lower and uppercase, symbols and numbers. Make them unique for each site too. If you have trouble remembering them, consider using a password manager to keep track of them securely.

Whenever possible, enable 2FA for your online shopping accounts. Doing so adds an extra layer of verification beyond just a password. Regular passwords can be vulnerable to brute force attacks or phishing. Although helpful, password managers aren't always bulletproof.

Adding 2FA requires an additional piece of information, typically something only you possess, like a mobile device or a fingerprint. It makes it harder for unauthorized individuals to access your account, ensuring the privacy of your personal information.

Check website security

Checking a website's security is crucial to ensure that your online shopping is safe and private. Always start by checking the website's URL. A secure website should have "https://" at the beginning of the URL. The "s" stands for secure and indicates that the website uses encryption to protect data transmitted between your browser and the server.

Look for a padlock icon in the address bar of your browser. This icon typically appears to the left of the URL and indicates that the website has a valid SSL/TLS certificate, which is essential for secure data transmission.

Limit sharing of personal information

Provide only essential information during checkout. Unless you're getting something delivered, retailers don't always need your full address or phone number. And unless you're buying age-restricted items or services, they don't need your date of birth either.

Some account registration processes may even ask you your mother's maiden name as a security question. Use a fake one (but one you'll remember), as this is the type of information that cybercriminals can use in identity theft and fraud.

Regularly review privacy settings

Periodically review and adjust the communication preferences and privacy settings on your online shopping accounts. This can help limit the information shared with third parties and avoid unwanted marketing emails, spam, and phishing attempts.

Use disposable or prepaid cards

Consider using disposable or prepaid cards for online purchases. Disposable or prepaid cards are not directly linked to your primary bank account or credit card. By using these cards for online transactions, you limit the exposure of your actual financial information, such as your credit card number or bank account details. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access and potential financial loss in case of a data breach.

Prepaid cards can be purchased without providing personal information, which adds a level of anonymity to your online purchases. No one needs to know what you buy or where you buy it from.

Beware of phishing attempts

Be cautious with unsolicited emails or links claiming to offer great deals. Verify the authenticity of the sender and website before clicking. Even better, don't click any links and manually type the website's URL into the address bar. If the email has spelling or grammatical errors, take these as red flags threatening your digital privacy.

Phishing attacks come in all shapes and sizes. Check out our blog post, Are You Aware of the Most Common Phishing Attacks? to be sure you know what to look out for.

Clear your browsing data

Websites use cookies to track your browsing habits and gather data about your online behavior. This information can be used to personalize ads, recommendations, and even pricing. By clearing cookies, you reset this tracking and prevent websites from accessing your previous activity, making it harder for them to target you with tailored marketing strategies.

It will also remove any saved login credentials, such as usernames and passwords. It can be an inconvenience, but it's one way to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your online shopping accounts.

Use privacy-focused browsers

Privacy-focused browsers such as Brave or Opera typically come with built-in tracking protection features that block most third-party trackers and cookies. This reduces the amount of information advertisers and data brokers can collect about your online shopping behavior.

It's worth mentioning that privacy browsers can't stop the most invasive of tracking techniques, digital fingerprinting. Only dedicated privacy tools such as Hoody can do this.

But the other good thing about privacy-focused browsers is that they usually incorporate some sort of anti-phishing mechanisms. It's a helpful feature that warns you when you visit potentially malicious websites, helping you avoid fake online stores and phishing scams.

Use privacy tools

Tools such as VPNs and proxies can help bolster your digital privacy while online shopping by hiding your IP address. VPNs also encrypt your traffic making it difficult for hackers, ISPs, or other third parties to intercept and decipher your data.

But, just in the same way that privacy browsers are limited, VPNs also don't protect you from digital fingerprinting. Even if they say they do. They also keep logs. Even if they say they don't.

If you want a greater level of privacy (and anonymity) while online shopping, use a tool that is made with privacy from the ground up. The Hoody app operates in a similar way to VPNs but does so using diskless servers. This means that your data can never be stored, it can't be shared with third parties, it can't be stolen, and it can't be leaked in a data breach.

Of course, privacy tools can't save you from yourself.

If you click on malicious links or manually share your financial details with the wrong person or site, there is very little any privacy tool can do for you. So, be vigilant and stay safe!

Shop online and preserve your digital privacy

Online shopping has undoubtedly revolutionized the way we make purchases, offering unparalleled convenience and accessibility. However, online shopping privacy issues shouldn't be ignored.

From data collection practices by online retailers to third-party trackers, and the ever-present danger of phishing scams, there are numerous ways our personal information can be compromised. Having read this article, you can take the right steps to protect your privacy during your online retail therapy sessions!

Of course, online shopping is just one of the activities that adds to your digital footprint. To know more about the digital trail you leave behind and how it affects your privacy, read: What is a Digital Footprint?