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"This year, Microsoft and Google put a major emphasis on creating a &amp;quot;better Internet,&amp;quot; and making sure that everyone can keep personal information safe. A 2013 global survey by Microsoft revealed that more than 10,000 adults are still not taking the necessary steps to protect their online data. Along with Google, Microsoft updated its safety information to help users stay secure. Rather than you pouring through pages of information, we&amp;#039;ve outlined the most important tips: 1. Passwords are the best protectors. Both companies could not stress enough the importance of strong passwords, changing passwords, and maintaining different passwords for each of your important online accounts and devices. We&amp;#039;ve all heard it a million times, yet Microsoft found only 1 in 3 people even set a password or pin on their mobile device. Need help setting up strong passwords that work for you? Check out our guide. 2. Adjust privacy settings to maintain your online image. Microsoft&amp;#039;s survey also revealed that only 36% of people surveyed limit strangers from viewing their social network profiles and only a third changed their privacy settings. Since 70% of companies have admitted to rejecting potential hires due to their web activity, according to Microsoft&amp;#039;s study, it&amp;#039;s important to be proactive about maintaining your online image. Search your own name from time to time and take action to make sure you are positively represented. RELATED: The Best Tablets to Buy 3. Make sure your software is up-to-date. If you can&amp;#039;t remember the last time you updated your phone or computer, all is not lost. Most devices will automatically install or notify you of updates when they become available. The important thing is to act on these notifications as many of these updates include improvements to security. These updates can make a difference in keeping your personal information safe from hackers. Check your settings to make sure automatic updates are turned on. 4. Keep your online purchases secure. Whether you&amp;#039;re making a purchase online or checking online banking, make sure you&amp;#039;re doing so on a secure webpage. Luckily, there are clear indicators that the site you&amp;#039;re visiting is secure. Look for the https:// at the start of the URL. The &amp;quot;s&amp;quot; at the end of &amp;quot;http&amp;quot; labels that a site has built in security. Also look for a padlock logo to the left of the URL as some sites use this to denote security as well. RELATED: Don&amp;#039;t Fall Victim to These Email Scams 5. Set up a secure WiFi network at home. First: You need to protect your WiFi with a password. Without it, your activity is easily recognized by anybody within range of your signal. If you have password-protected WiFi, know that all secured networks are not created equal. To maximize your protection, find out if you use a WPA2 encryption, as this is the most up to date and secure option available. If you purchased your router before 2006, it may not support WPA2 and use older password protection methods, making it more susceptible to hacking. For more information, be sure to check out Microsoft and Google&amp;#039;s complete guides. Also, consider taking part in Microsoft&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;Do One Thing&amp;quot; initiative and pledge one thing you will do to better protect your personal data online. TELL US: What&amp;#039;s your biggest concern about staying safe online? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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