Some interesting trends have been converging around security over the past months: data privacy and securing your computer. It will be interesting what this will bring us next year, but I expect even more focus and consumer-friendly (d)Apps and products to go with that.
The concept of data-privacy is discussed more broadly even in mainstream media. We have the Facebook-scandals and for example the GDPR from the EU to thank for that. People are starting to realise more and more that their data is not some company’s data. Concepts and startups aiming to make a user more in control of their own data have popped up more and more over the past year. A personal favourite is Civic, but also Sovrin is focussing on digital identities of people and giving them the control over who can see what part of their data.
With the rise of most notably Bitcoin end of last year, a lot of people bought into a market expecting to get rich quick. With so many people now holding digital tokens that represent some/significant value, the concept of securing your computer got a lot more attention. Where previously securing your laptop was mostly an afterthought, something for the geeks, now it became all the more apparent that closing the doors and protect your crypto was a good idea.
If you are unsure where to start, some of the basics to get you started:
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For browsing the web, use a privacy focussed browser such as Brave
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Do you backups. Better, automate them with Backblaze
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Store your crypto in an offline wallet, such as the Ledger or Trezor
Ofcourse it is better to have security in place at the foundation of your project or when you start. Bolting it on afterwards is not ideal, but still beats not having any security at all. If you are interested in more of these steps to protect your online privacy, please let me know by contacting me.
