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Oversharing personal information online ­ such as one¹s home address - is
one of the reasons why cyber-bullying can come into the physical world and
truly threaten people¹s lives and property. Cyberbullying persecutes the
victim everywhere they go, and even their home cannot be a refuge anymore.

Even if one avoids posting their personal data online, such as their social
security number, it can be recreated by an algorithm that uses person¹s
private data and place of birth (usually shared on Facebook). A person¹s
medical records can be detected by combining their zip code and date of
birth.

The privacy paradox shows that even though people express serious privacy
concerns and fear identity theft, they still tend to reveal their personal
details online for small rewards or for the sake of creating their online
persona.

NordVPN is a Virtual Private Network provider that stands firmly against all
forms of cyberbullying, and has a goal of educating the public about what
each person can do to stay as safe online as possible.

1. Understand that no one is an exception from cyberbullying or identity
theft. According to research, people believe that identity theft often takes
place online, but they are very sceptical about it happening to them ­ as
one extensive study shows, 56% respondents
<https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers...> didn¹t think
about the likelihood of identity theft happening to them.

2. Realize that everything you post online, will stay online. Tweets or
photos that one posts as a college student will still be there when they are
a company director down the road. Therefore, online privacy might have a
different value to the same person after some years. To stay protected,
don¹t post anything now that you might regret later. To avoid blackmail or
extortion, don¹t share personal or embarrassing photos with anyone.

3. Avoid sharing personal data on Facebook. Do not enter your address or
phone number on Facebook where it can be visible to anyone. Do not create
status updates sharing vulnerable information, such as showing that you are
on vacation and your house is empty.

4. Don¹t overshare feelings, not only data. According to one study
<http://www.newsx.com/tech/18027-bys...> , people who share their feelings on social media often get
bullied, while others look on and allow harassment to happen. It¹s more
advisable to share personal feelings in close and friendly circles than
publicly.

5. Protect your location. Don¹t show your actual location by using a VPN. A
VPN is a Virtual Private Network that hides your IP address and your
location. By connecting to another country¹s server, you can set your
location to virtually any place in the world. NordVPN
<https://www.nordvpn.com> is one of the most advanced VPN service providers
in the world as it uses leading industry encryption methods and keeps no
customer logs.

6. Protect your passwords. Some forms of cyberbullying include targeted
hacking and identity theft, which means securing your data is of utmost
importance. Exercise caution and, among other things, secure your passwords.
A password could be a mix of characters and special symbols, and they should
never be shared with anyone. It¹s always advised to
<https://nordvpn.com/blog/the-tips-o...> change
password <https://nordvpn.com/blog/the-tips-o...> s
<https://nordvpn.com/blog/the-tips-o...> in order
to stay safe online, and that means having to use a unique password for each
site or account. 1Password for Families <https://1password.com/families/>
is an app that allows a family to share passwords, credit cards, and other
sensitive information. The app remembers everything, keeps the information
safe and signs one into their favorite sites with one click.

7. Understand the dangers of free public Wi-Fi. Cafes, shops, and even
school cafeteria offer unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Users need to be especially
cautious <https://nordvpn.com/blog/securing-p...> when connecting
to these networks ­ as they can easily be monitored. Hackers can easily
position themselves as a Wi-Fi hotspot or use special software to steal data
from unprotected networks. One of the best ways to safely use public Wi-Fi
is by installing a VPN.

8. Educate children and teens about cyberbullying. 42 percent
of teens
with access to Internet say they have been victims of cyberbullying. Besides
not sharing their private information online, teens, who are more vulnerable
to personal attacks and prone to hurting themselves, should be taught basic
tactics of dealing with a cyberbully. The tactics include not responding to
bullying messages, blocking the bully and reporting the incident. Schools
should have systems in place that allow easy and efficient cyberbullying
reporting.

Cyberbullying is a huge problem for anyone using the Internet ­ and that
includes teens, children, adults, all countries and all professions.
Unfortunately, it cannot be avoided, because cyberbullying is not caused by
technology ­ its source is human behavior, and technology only enhances it.
The best way to protect oneself is to stay as private online as possible.