There are a lot of ways things can go wrong online. Password databases get breached, personal data gets leaked, and trackers pop up where we least expect them. We don’t like to dwell on the bad side of the internet because we want technology to be fun — but there’s a lot of hard, careful work happening to get you there.
Lock it down
A special issue from The Verge about protecting yourself online
Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan
So this week, we’re putting together a guide to protecting yourself online. Some of it is basic hygiene — how to set up two-factor authentication, how to block tracking pixels in your email, and so on — but there are also a few more exotic problems in the mix, like Dogecoin scammers or the quantum security apocalypse. Taken together, it’s a full-spectrum reminder of all the things that can go wrong on the internet.
Stay safe out there.
Nearly 8 billion usernames have leaked since June 2011
Russell Brandom, Grayson Blackmon and 1 more
You can’t wipe all your info off the internet — but you can make it less available
Rob Pegoraro
Use hardware to keep your data safe
Stefan Etienne and Barbara Krasnoff
The maddening logic of facial recognition
Dave Gershgorn
Sharing our personal lives online is important — but it’s dangerous, too
Nylah Iqbal Muhammad
New techniques could stand up to the power of a quantum computer — if we implement them in time
Sophia Chen
Pixel trackers can hide in your email images
Barbara Krasnoff
Hacks, fake hacks, and the new gold rush of crypto scams
Ryan Broderick
Nearly 8 billion usernames have leaked since June 2011
Russell Brandom, Grayson Blackmon and 1 more
You can’t wipe all your info off the internet — but you can make it less available
Rob Pegoraro
Use hardware to keep your data safe
Stefan Etienne and Barbara Krasnoff
The maddening logic of facial recognition
Dave Gershgorn
Sharing our personal lives online is important — but it’s dangerous, too
Nylah Iqbal Muhammad
New techniques could stand up to the power of a quantum computer — if we implement them in time
Sophia Chen
Pixel trackers can hide in your email images
Barbara Krasnoff
Hacks, fake hacks, and the new gold rush of crypto scams
Ryan Broderick