7 ways to protect your digital privacy.

28 October 2026

Key takeaways.

Keep your devices and software up to date.
Review app permissions and limit unnecessary data sharing.
Use strong, unique passwords for important accounts.
Avoid logging into accounts on public Wi‑Fi networks.
Visit our Security Hub to keep up to date with trending scams.

In the physical world most of us go to great lengths to protect our privacy, but only around one in 2 adults follow the basics when it comes to protecting their personal information.

Here are 7 steps that can make a real difference to your digital privacy. Help spread the word by telling your family, friends, and workmates.

1. Keep your devices up to date.

Software updates may be pesky but they’re worth downloading. The latest versions often contain critical security updates to help defend your device against viruses, malware and other online threats

2. See how apps are using your data.

Are your apps harvesting your data? You’re likely to have used Facebook or Google to quickly sign up for an app or website.

Check your Facebook Google account settings (try something like Settings > Connected apps & sites) to see which apps are hooked into them.

It’s good to periodically audit and disable the ones you never use, as they may still be leeching off your personal data. Once you’ve narrowed down the list, you can take a deeper dive and read up on how they use your personal data. If you’re not happy with their data-sharing practices, remove the apps.

3. Don’t always keep it real.

Don’t pick security questions that can be easily researched, like yours or your family member’s names or special event dates.

If you are prompted to answer common security questions like your mother’s maiden name, pets name, what high school did you go to – you don't have to answer the questions honestly – it just needs to be something you'll remember.

4. Don’t play favourites.

Using a single ‘favourite’ password for everything from email to social media sites and shopping accounts when compromised is the online equivalent of leaving your front door open.

It’s important to use different passwords for different types of accounts. This doesn’t mean for every single account, but try to use unique passwords on sites that contain your personal and financial details.

Also skip ‘remember my password’ options. Allowing a site to remember your password makes your accounts more accessible if your computer becomes hacked or infected.

5. Browse on public Wi-Fi, but don’t log in.

Public Wi-Fi by its nature is an unsecured network. This makes it a favourite among identity thieves, who hack all kinds of public networks including those at shopping centres, airports and cafes. Play it safe. Browse on public Wi-Fi to your heart’s content but never log in to websites or apps using your username or passwords.

6. Remember your digital footprint.

Even with privacy settings in place, posts get shared to the world wide web, making it impossible to have complete control over who sees your social networking profile and posts. Think carefully about how each post may be perceived – both now and in the future. What you post today could come back to haunt you tomorrow.

7. Log out every time.

Closing browser windows or typing over an address is not the same as logging out.

Shut down apps when you’re not using them and make a habit of logging out of websites when you’re done. Most online banking applications automatically time out, but it’s cyber-smart to click ‘log out’ every time.

By taking a moment to care when you share your personal details, it’s possible to enjoy all the convenience of digital devices without compromising your privacy.