You wouldn’t walk down a road holding out a bundle of cash, personal ID, and shouting out passwords and personal identification numbers, so why would you do that online? Unfortunately, many people do exactly that when browsing online, and often unwittingly. While they wouldn’t dream of revealing personal information to strangers in person, a lack of cybersecurity means they often do this simply by going about their business online. With nearly 60 million Americans affected by identity theft in 2017 alone, it’s important to be secure with your browsing habits.
Knowing how to stay secure can be confusing which is why Dashlane is the ideal solution for everyone, regardless of their technical prowess. It’s a subscription-based software tool that makes it easy to manage everything about your online presence from password management to even spotting when an account is compromised, thereby keeping you secure from threats. We have an exclusive 25% off coupon for Digital Trends readers and here’s exactly why you should take advantage of the offer, along with everything you need to know.
Setting up Dashlane
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Many security software suites are hugely comprehensive to the point that they’re intimidating to use. Setup can be a slow and stressful experience, and you can feel pretty overwhelmed getting started. Dashlane isn’t like that. It takes seconds to sign up and install, before leading you through everything you need to know. It also works with every operating system you could need including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android so you’ll never be without its security features.
A simple Getting Started page is the first screen you’ll see encouraging you to set up autofill, your browser, and your phone, so you’re good to go with the basics. Once you’ve got that all set up, you can move onto adding new passwords, IDs, credit card details, and so forth.
It’s the kind of sign-up process that anyone who knows PC basics can master, making Dashlane ideal for young and old. There’s no risk of frustration here.
Dashlane features
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Dashlane might primarily seem like a password manager tool but it does a lot more than just that, making it far superior to built-in browser solutions that save your password. Here’s a breakdown of the best features.
Password management: Dashlane has extensive password management features right down to making it easy for you to change passwords en masse across many different popular websites, saving you the hassle of having to do it yourself.
Dashlane also keeps an eye on how healthy your password choices are, giving you a heads up on any compromised passwords as well as encouraging you to pick more secure options rather than weak passwords.
ID protection: Want your PC or Mac to safely store your credit card details? Dashlane does it so much better than any standard browser plug-in, making it simple yet secure to store card details right down to the CVV or CID number. You can also use it to store your ID, such as your driver’s license or passport with Dashlane, letting you know when your IDs are six months from expiring.
Identity monitoring: The dark web is a scary sounding place for good reason; your details can be stolen and placed on there for sale to the highest bidder. Dashlane gives you insight into when this happens. Simply enter an email address and the service tells you if any details linked to the address have been linked and from where. It’s an ideal method for warning you of potential issues before they actually become a problem for you. Other identity theft protection services are out there but they typically cost a lot more than Dashlane.
Business features: Ever need to keep a secure and highly private note on your system? Dashlane has a Secure Notes facility so you can easily store information encrypted so that only you can view the file afterward. It also has an option for storing digital copies of your receipts, which is very useful if you need to claim for expenses often.
Built-in VPN: A VPN is a fantastic way of maintaining your privacy when browsing online. It means you can appear to be browsing from a completely different location than your actual position, slowing down hackers that may be trying to access your data. It’s particularly useful as an extra layer of security when connected to public Wi-Fi. Dashlane Premium has a built-in VPN facility so you don’t have to pay for an additional service.
Is Dashlane Free worth it?
Dashlane is available as a free service and as a premium service. Obviously, the best features come from Dashlane Premium but it can be useful to start out with Dashlane Free. You’re still able to store up to 50 passwords, as well as enjoy form and payment autofill. You also get personalized security alerts. However, this is all only for one device – you can’t use it across your smartphone as well as your PC or vice versa.
There’s also the matter that 50 passwords are going to be used up fast. That’s not many passwords at all when you use the internet for any length of time. Lack of VPN support and dark web monitoring also means that Dashlane Premium is a far better option.
Dashlane Premium normally only costs $40 per year but if you use the DigitalTrends25 code, you can enjoy it for only $30. For extensive peace of mind, and a much safer browsing experience, that’s a bargain. A quality VPN often costs more than that alone before you take into account identity theft protection-style dark web monitoring.
Can I trust Dashlane?
Dashlane stores and decrypts your information locally, once you use your master password, so not even Dashlane is able to access your data. That makes it far more secure than not using it. Just make sure your Master Password is very secure and no one else knows it.
Dashlane is used by more than 11 million users across the world, plus it’s been endorsed by the likes of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, as well as us.
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