Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
In today's digital world, keeping your online privacy safe is more important than ever. Data brokers, advertisers, and identity thieves are always watching what we do online. It's key to protect our personal info. At PCMag, we've been checking out antivirus programs for over 35 years. Many have grown into full privacy protection tools. New services also fight against identity theft and data broker profiling.
Our team has tested many apps and services for privacy protection. We found the best VPNs, tools for secure browsing, and data protection. These top picks can help keep your online life safe and private.
Key Takeaways
- Online privacy protection is essential in today's digital landscape, where data brokers, advertisers, and identity thieves pose significant threats.
- PCMag has been evaluating antivirus programs for over 35 years, many of which now offer comprehensive privacy protection features.
- New services have emerged to address specific privacy threats, such as identity theft and profiling by data brokers.
- The article will explore the best online privacy protection services, including VPNs, secure browsing tools, and data protection solutions.
- Readers can choose the most effective privacy defenders based on PCMag's extensive testing and analysis.
Table of contents
- Key Takeaways
- Importance of Online Privacy in the Digital Age
- Comprehensive Identity Protection with Norton 360 and LifeLock
- Secure Your Email Communications with PreVeil
- Enhance Your Online Shopping Privacy with IronVest
- Opt-Out of Data Brokers with Privacy Bee
- Best Online Privacy Protection Services Combine Identity Protection and Traditional Security
- Proton Mail: Email Encryption with Additional Features
- Optery: Precise Privacy Remediation
Importance of Online Privacy in the Digital Age
In today's world, keeping our online privacy safe is very important. We share a lot of personal data online, like when we shop or bank. This makes it easy for our information to get into the wrong hands. So, we need to protect our online privacy.
Data Brokers and Advertisers Tracking Your Online Activities
Data brokers and advertisers track what we do online. They collect lots of data, like what we search for and where we go. They use this to make detailed profiles of us, which they sell or use for ads.
Apps like Facebook and Uber collect a lot of our data too. They share this with advertisers, making ads more personal. But, this means our privacy is traded without our permission.
Data Collection Methods | Potential Risks |
---|---|
Tracking online activities | Profiling and targeted advertising |
Collecting data through apps | Sharing personal information with third parties |
Smart devices and IoT | Vulnerability to hacking and data breaches |
Identity Theft and Its Consequences
Identity theft is a big threat to our online safety. Hackers try to steal our personal info, like our social security numbers. In 2022, over 1,800 data breaches happened in the U.S., affecting over 422 million people.
The advancement of artificial intelligence is expected to make cyber attacks more efficient and effective, leading to an increase in malicious software and phishing scams.
To fight these threats, we need to use privacy tools like encryption. Businesses should also protect our data with strong security measures. This way, we can all stay safer online.
As we use the internet more, we must be careful with our privacy. By knowing the risks and using safe practices, we can make the internet a safer place for everyone.
Comprehensive Identity Protection with Norton 360 and LifeLock
In today's digital world, keeping our personal info safe is key. Norton 360 and LifeLock offer top-notch protection for our online identity and devices. They help us stay secure online.
Excellent Device-Level Security Protection
Norton 360 guards our devices on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It's known for its strong security, winning awards like the “Best Protection 2023 Award” from AV-TEST. We can trust our devices are safe from cyber threats.
Full VPN with No Bandwidth Limits
Norton 360's VPN service has no data limits. This lets us surf the web safely and privately without worrying about running out of data. Norton VPN ranked high in a test by PassMark Software, ensuring a fast and reliable VPN experience.
Norton Secure VPN is available from just $4.99 per month, making it an affordable option for boosting our online privacy and security.
Identity Theft Remediation Guarantee
LifeLock, part of Norton 360, offers top identity theft protection. If our identity is stolen, LifeLock will work hard to fix it. Depending on our plan, this could include up to $1 million in coverage for experts and lawyers.
Norton 360 with LifeLock Plan | Annual Price | Lawyers and Experts Coverage |
---|---|---|
Select | $189.99 | Up to $25,000 |
Advantage | $259.99 | Up to $100,000 |
Ultimate Plus | $364.99 | Up to $1 million |
While Identity Lock by Norton is powerful, it can't stop all account takeovers or unauthorized account openings. Yet, Norton 360 with LifeLock is a great choice for protecting our digital lives with its strong identity and device security.
Secure Your Email Communications with PreVeil
In today's world, keeping our emails safe is more important than ever. Cybercrime and data breaches are on the rise. That's why we need strong email encryption solutions. PreVeil offers a secure email service that keeps our messages private and safe.
PreVeil is different because it works with our current email accounts like Gmail and Outlook. We don't have to change our email or learn new ways to use it. PreVeil encrypts our messages and files without slowing us down.
PreVeil uses advanced encryption technology. It uses Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and symmetric encryption. This means our emails stay secret and can only be opened by the right people. Even if someone tries to intercept our emails, they won't be able to read them.
PreVeil has been recognized as PC Magazine's Editors Choice for four consecutive years, showing it's top-notch in email encryption.
PreVeil also offers more features to keep us safe online:
- It protects us from server breaches, password theft, and phishing attempts.
- It uses zero-knowledge encryption, so PreVeil can't see our data.
- It lets us share files securely with the right permissions.
- It has a smart key recovery system using Shamir's Secret Sharing.
- It has apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
- It gives us 5GB of secure online storage for files.
Setting up PreVeil is easy and doesn't need any tech skills. We can start keeping our emails safe in just a few minutes. This gives us peace of mind with top encryption.
Service | Free Tier | Paid Tier | Encryption Method | Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
PreVeil | Yes | $25/month for 5TB storage | PKI and symmetric encryption | 4.5 Outstanding |
StartMail | No | $59.95/year | PGP | 4.0 Excellent |
Private-Mail | Yes (limited) | $69.99/year | PGP | 3.5 Good |
SecureMyEmail | Yes | $29.99/year for unsupported accounts | PGP | Not rated |
PreVeil is better than other email encryption services because of its strong security, ease of use, and good price. It's great for both personal use and business needs. PreVeil meets our needs with its features.
With data breaches and email hacks happening more often, using a secure email service like PreVeil is smart. It helps us stay safe online by protecting our sensitive information with the latest encryption technology.
Enhance Your Online Shopping Privacy with IronVest
Protecting our online privacy is more important than ever. Online shopping is convenient and offers a wide range of products. IronVest helps keep your personal info safe while you shop.
IronVest lets you shop online without worry. It has features to keep your data safe and prevent unauthorized access.
Masked Emails and Credit Card Details
IronVest creates masked emails and credit card numbers for online buys. It uses a unique email and virtual credit card for each purchase. This keeps your real info safe from merchants.
SMS Passcode Authentication Protection
IronVest also offers SMS passcode protection. It captures and fills in passcodes for you. This makes it harder for hackers to get into your accounts.
Built-In Password Manager and Form Filling
Managing many passwords is hard. IronVest's password manager makes it easy. It creates strong passwords and stores them safely. You can log in easily without remembering many passwords.
IronVest also fills out online forms for you. It stores your personal info and fills in the forms when you need it. This saves you time and effort.
Feature | Benefit |
---|---|
Masked Emails | Protects your real email address from spam and phishing attempts |
Masked Credit Cards | Prevents unauthorized access to your credit card information |
SMS Passcode Authentication | Enhances security by automatically capturing and filling in one-time passcodes |
Password Manager | Generates and securely stores strong passwords for your online accounts |
Form Filling | Saves time and effort by automatically filling in online forms with your personal information |
With IronVest, we can shop online with confidence, knowing that our personal information is protected at every step of the way.
IronVest's features make online shopping safe and easy. You don't have to worry about data breaches anymore. Enjoy shopping online while keeping your privacy with IronVest.
Opt-Out of Data Brokers with Privacy Bee
In today's digital world, keeping our personal info safe from data brokers is key. Privacy Bee helps by removing our details from hundreds of sites. This way, we can protect our online privacy and keep our sensitive info safe.
Remove Your Data from Hundreds of Broker Sites
Privacy Bee is unique because it covers over 430 data brokers and search sites. This is more than Optery and IDX Complete. By automating the removal of our personal data, Privacy Bee makes sure our info is gone from the internet.
Privacy Bee's yearly fee of $197 might seem high. But, it offers wide coverage and peace of mind. It also gives a refund if you cancel, which is rare among competitors.
Service | Annual Cost | Number of Sites Covered |
---|---|---|
Privacy Bee | $197 | 430+ |
Optery | $249 | 305 |
Abine DeleteMe | $129 (individual), $229 (couple), $329 (family of 4) | Not specified |
Surfshark Incogni | $77.88 | 180+ |
IDX Complete | $355.52 | 137 |
Manage Trust Relationships with Companies
Privacy Bee also helps us manage our trust with companies. It has a browser extension for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. This extension blocks trackers and shows sites' data practices with green checks, red X's, or grey question marks.
By using Privacy Bee's browser extension, we can protect our online privacy. We make sure our data isn't collected and sold without our okay.
The extension also shows us how much tracking we block and the space we save. With Privacy Bee, we can safely explore the internet. We know our personal info is safe and our trust with companies is managed well.
Best Online Privacy Protection Services Combine Identity Protection and Traditional Security
The best online privacy services mix identity protection with strong security. Bitdefender Ultimate Security is a great example. It adds identity protection to the solid security of Bitdefender Total Security. This service offers top antivirus, a VPN, and a password manager, plus identity protection from TransUnion.
Bitdefender Ultimate Security watches the Dark Web for identity threats. If there's a breach, experts will help. They can check or freeze your credit to protect you fast. This keeps you safe in our digital world.
Bitdefender Ultimate Security also excels in device security. It scores 5.95 in protecting against threats, beating Norton and McAfee. This means your devices stay safe from online dangers.
Service | Identity Theft Insurance | 401(k) Plan & Investment Monitoring |
---|---|---|
Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus | Up to $2 million | Included |
Bitdefender Premium Security | Up to $1 million | Not Included |
Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus offers up to $2 million in identity theft insurance. This is more than the Premium Security package. It also monitors 401(k) plans and investments, a feature not in Premium Security.
By combining cutting-edge identity protection with robust traditional security measures, Bitdefender Ultimate Security empowers us to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and peace of mind.
In today's world, our personal info is valuable and at risk. Choosing a service like Bitdefender Ultimate Security is wise. It protects our digital lives with identity and security features. This makes our online world safer for us and our families.
Proton Mail: Email Encryption with Additional Features
Proton Mail is a secure email service that uses end-to-end encryption. This means only the sender and the recipient can see the email content. It has millions of users worldwide and is praised by Forbes and the Huffington Post for its privacy and security.
Proton Mail also offers many features to boost your online privacy and security:
- Unlimited custom filters for organizing your emails
- 25 MB attachment size limit for sending files securely
- Unlimited folders for organizing your emails
- Ability to set passwords for sending encrypted emails to non-Proton Mail users
- Hide-my-email aliases for creating unique, random email addresses
- Short @pm.me email address as an additional free alias
- Support for sending emails to large contact groups of up to 100 contacts
- Auto-reply functionality for setting up automatic responses
- Automatic forwarding of emails to other accounts
- Automatic deletion of messages older than 30 days from Trash and Spam folders
Secure Encrypted File Sharing
Proton Mail also offers secure file sharing with end-to-end encryption. You can share files and folders via links with advanced security. The Drive storage in Proton Mail lets you edit documents online, keeping them private and secure.
With Proton Mail, you can store up to 200 versions of each file for up to 10 years. This ensures your important documents are safe and accessible.
Sophisticated Key Recovery System
Proton Mail has a sophisticated key recovery system for your encrypted emails and files. This system makes sure only you have access to your private keys. Even Proton Mail can't get them. If you lose or forget your password, Proton Mail's system helps you get back into your account safely.
Feature | Description |
---|---|
End-to-end encryption | Proton Mail ensures that only the sender and recipient can access email content |
Open-source cryptography | Proton Mail's encryption has been reviewed by security experts globally |
Zero-access to email content | Proton Mail servers store messages with end-to-end encryption and securely transmit data |
With Proton Mail, you get email encryption and more. Features like secure file sharing and a key recovery system are included. Take control of your online privacy and protect your sensitive information with Proton Mail.
Optery: Precise Privacy Remediation
In today's digital world, keeping our personal info safe is key. Optery leads in removing our data from unwanted sites. Their free service might not have all the DIY tools some competitors offer. But, Optery shines in finding and removing our personal details from many data broker sites.
Optery uses smart search tools to find brokers that have our sensitive info without asking. Once they find these brokers, they start a detailed process to remove our data. This way, our personal info stays safe from misuse or unauthorized access.
Optery does more than just remove data. They keep watching data broker sites to make sure our info stays hidden. With Optery's help, we can safely explore the internet. We know our personal data is safe and our online life is protected from unwanted visitors.
FAQ about the best online privacy protection services
Norton 360 with LifeLock is a top choice. It has a full VPN with no limits, plus identity and device security.
PreVeil makes your email secure. It works with your current email and supports Gmail and Outlook. You get top-notch email security for free.
IronVest (formerly Abine Blur) boosts your online shopping privacy. It masks your email, credit card, and phone numbers. Plus, it captures and fills SMS passcodes for you.
Privacy Bee helps delete your data from many sites. It tells data brokers to erase your info, and they must do it. Optery also helps remove your data from these sites.
Look for services that protect your identity and devices. Bitdefender Ultimate Security is a great example. It has antivirus, a VPN, a password manager, and identity protection from TransUnion.
Proton Mail gives you 10GB of secure file storage. It also has a key recovery system for your emails and files.