Internet Safety: The Steps We All Must Take to Have the Best Online Experience

Whether we like it or not, the digital realm is becoming an ever more omnipresent part of our lives. Indeed, there are very few people right now who don’t have access to the internet in some way. For that reason, it is of utmost importance to take certain steps in ensuring our safety.

However, the internet, despite everything, is still relatively new. It only became widely available in the 1990s, and early 2000s. While there is a generation that grew up online, there are also quite a few people that have never been thought online safety.

That is why, in this article, we would like to go over some tips for preserving your well-being online. We will discuss the best ways to avoid hacking, phishing, or worse, and hopefully give you a good guide for staying safe when browsing the web. 

Research All Websites

It is not an uncommon thing to “fall down the rabbit hole,” online. What we mean is, quite a lot of people are browsing the web, clicking new links, and hoping to discover something interesting. However, plenty of times, these links can lead to some problems. That is why, research is key when browsing the web.

Take, for example, the iGaming industry. In 2025, most of the iGaming industry has become legalized and regulated. If you look at the top NZ casino online, you will find a website that has been reviewed, examined, and licensed by some of the top gambling authorities in the world. However, there are still plenty of online casinos that operate without any regulation. That is why, research is important. 

You can apply the research rule to pretty much any online business or market, from e-commerce, to basic browsing. Often, we come across a link that seems interesting, but clicking it or not may be the difference between remaining safe online, or risking all of your private data; which leads us to our next point…don’t click suspicious links.

Suspicious Links

In order to understand what we mean, we have to explain what exactly a suspicious link is. Often, social media sites allow their users to share some links among each other. Of course, if you are on friendly terms with the people sharing, then this shouldn’t be an issue. Furthermore, if you are on a public forum (like Reddit or Twitter), clicking a link posted publically by a stranger, may not be the biggest issue.

However, the trouble comes when the person sharing the link promises something in return. We’ve all gotten those kinds of emails or private messages; where somebody is promising you a huge reward, just for clicking a simple link. At that point, anybody would be tempted. However, as the old saying goes, if something is too good to be true, then it probably is. 

Sharing a link is one of the easiest ways to get somebody to fall prey to a phishing scam. For those who don’t know, phishing is a type of digital scam, in which a hacker is trying to steal money, identity, or data from their victim. By getting somebody to reveal information about them, scam artists take advantage of said person, and leave them frustrated and in financial, or worse, legal trouble. 

Strong Measures

Because of the growing rate of cybercrime in the 21st century, we all must take certain steps to defend ourselves. But, what can we do against the growing issues of hacking and phishing? Well, the good news is, just as cybercrime is on the rise, so too is cyber security. Websites are better equipped than ever before to prevent trouble makers from causing havoc. 

One of the ways they prevent identity theft, for example, is through identity verification. In case you weren’t aware, identity verification refers to any process that proves that a person online is who they say they are. Websites have multiple ways of doing so, the most popular being multi-factor authentication. Of course, some of the onus is on us as well. 

Individuals must also take certain precautions against getting hacked. The easiest thing to say is create strong passwords. Strong passwords are a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols. We would recommend using capital and lowercase letters as well, and do so at random. Finally, research the most popular passwords of each year, and avoid using those, as they are the first any hacker will attempt. 

Last, but certainly not least, there are programs capable of protecting your data. Antivirus software is a must. If you are using your PC or laptop for work, you will almost certainly require an antivirus, as it will protect your files from getting corrupted. Firewalls are also a necessity. Some people recommend VPNs, but those are a bit more controversial in the digital space in 2025. 

Downloading 

Finally, we must talk about downloading. In this day and age, it is common to download files from the internet. We download files for work or for pleasure. However, sometimes, it is easy to download a corrupted file without even understanding what we’ve done. A corrupted file is one in which the data has become inaccessible to the user. The issue is that it can have dire consequences on the entire system.

The worst part about it is that corrupted files often have unpredictable side effects. The result could be a minor loss of data, for example. However, it also could result in a total system crash, and an inability for the screen to load. Data corruption is not an easy thing to deal with either, so you will need the help of a professional. That is why, the best thing to do is avoid downloading suspicious programs all together.

Now, sometimes, it cannot be avoided. That is why, most professionals recommend that we constantly backup all of our files and programs, in order to avoid losing something important. However, if the corrupted file has already been downloaded, then the best thing you can do is a total system restore, or a reset. If all else fails, then you’ll have to make a trip to your local IT service.