Have you heard of Reddit? It’s one of the best and most popular platforms. Is it where users share feedback on security or the best places for streaming movies? No, there is not just one category but a whole plethora of it. According to Wikipedia, Reddit is “an American social news aggregation, web content rating and discussion website.” Take a look below for a clearer guide as to what Reddit is.
What is Reddit?
Taking a look at the definition above, you could say that Reddit is that one platform where all sorts of users come together and share their views, comments, posts, pictures and more on various topics. For instance, if you’re looking for a recipe of “cold soup,” all you need to do is post it. Someone who is qualified will sooner or later respond to it, along with many other suggestions.
There are different Reddit categories that break into groups called “subreddits.” These subreddits are created, bringing in different communities that share similar interests. For example, for users who are interested in finding VPNs that work the best, can head to the subreddit category on Reddit.
It will lead you to finding working VPNs that have been upvoted and downvoted. Not sure what that means? Well, think of it as a voting poll. If users agree with a certain post or comment, they will upvote it so that it stands out. Comments or posts that are disregarded are downvoted.
Is Reddit secure?
This is a tough question, mostly because users are not ready to leave the platform even after hearing about the alarming rumors back in 2018. No doubt, Reddit is one of the best platforms where users can get real and honest reviews and answers, but it does not come without risks.
As mentioned above, back in 2018 there was news that Reddit now utilizes API tracking. It is used to monitor everything its users do over the platform, with full liberty to log their information. This kind of data logging can easily allow other external parties to steal or hack user information and use it anyway they deem fit.
Additionally, Reddit claims that all the information collected is for the betterment of user experience while using the platform. However, that isn’t something you would want to pay attention to, since Reddit also uses your information to spam you with loads of ads that could be annoying or malicious.
Yes, you could fiddle around with the settings and choose what to enable or share while using Reddit, but there is no guarantee.
Is there a fix if you’re still willing to use Reddit?
Most users who are privacy centric have deleted their profiles along with the posts, comments or questions they’ve posted on the service. This is because even if you delete your profile, your data still remains, which is why most users delete all tracks of it before terminating their accounts. You could minimize the ads by going into the privacy settings option and disabling some data stored there.
However, if deleting your account is not something you’re willing to do, and still think Reddit is useful to you, you could use a security software. A VPN, short for Virtual Private Network, is currently one of the best security tools for online privacy or protection.
While you’re connected to one of its servers, it could lower the risk of data logging on Reddit, and from other cyber attacks. However, also be careful that you don’t choose a VPN provider that also logs data, then you’ll really be in a pickle. Do your research, use Reddit to research potential VPNs that users recommend and then test the provider out before settling.