Using an ad-blocker can help improve your privacy, by blocking the trackers that ads implement. uBlock Origin is a very efficient and open source browser addon, developed by Raymond Hill. When 3rd-party ads are displayed on a webpage, they have the ability to track you, gathering personal information about you and your habits, which can then be sold, or used to show you more targeted ads. This can be annoying, but worse are scam adverts for fake products. Blocking ads also makes pages load faster, uses less data and provides a less cluttered experience.

It may sound obvious, but when you logging into any online accounts, double check the URL is correct. Storing commonly visited sites in your bookmarks is a good way to ensure the URL is easy to find. When visiting new websites, look for common signs that it could be unsafe: Browser warnings, redirects, on-site spam and pop-ups. You can also check a website using a tool, such as: URLVoid if you are unsure. To use URLVoid, paste the web address you want to visit into the search bar and hit search. URLVoid then scans through databases of malicious websites to see if it appears in these. If it does appear, it will have a detection count of 1+. This means it is unsafe to visit. The only safe detection count is 0. Think of it like snakes in your bed - the only safe number of snakes in your bed is 0.

Extensions are able to see, log or modify anything you do in the browser, and some innocent looking browser apps, have malicious intentions. Websites can see which extensions you have installed, and may use this to enhance your fingerprint, to more accurately identify/ track you. Both Firefox and Chrome web stores allow you to check what permissions an extension requires before you install it. Only install extensions you really need, and removed those which you haven't used in a while.

Vulnerabilities in your browser are constantly being discovered and fixed (through something called a patch). Making sure your browser is up to date means that cyber criminals can't exploit weaknesses in your browser, helping to keep you safe. You can see which browser version you're using here, or check out this guide for instructions on how to update Some browsers will auto-update to the latest version. Find out more about how to stay up to date with updates is so important with our free course.

At the beginning of a web address will either be HTTP or HTTPS. This is called the protocol. The S in HTTPS stands for secure. This means that your data is encrypted while it is transported. Websites with an HTTP protocol (with no S) do not use encryption, so your data is available to be read by anyone who intercepts it. You should only enter any information into a website with an HTTPS protocol. The protocol is often shown as either a green or black padlock (HTTPS) or a broken padlock or a warning triangle (HTTP). However, it is important to remember that this doesn't mean the website is safe - cybercriminals set up fake websites with HTTPS addresses because they look legitimate. HTTPS is about how your data is transported, not about who the person is at the other end. Check out our course on [how to shop safely online] (https://my.lead.org.uk/courses/cyber-how-to-shop-online-safely/)for more information about https.

Third-party cookies placed on your device by a website other than the one you’re visiting. This poses a privacy risk, as a 3rd entity can collect data from your current session. When you visit any website that uses cookies, they should tell you about what cookies they are using and for what purposes. This will be in a pop up that you have to close before you can use the website. Don't just accept all cookies, turn off everything that can be turned off, or reject all.