security

Six Easy Steps You Can Take To Protect Your Data Online..


Here are general tips for protecting your data and privacy. Since mobile phones are most people’s primary devices, these suggestions are focused on phone privacy.

1.Protect Passwords

Lock your phone with a strong password and fingerprint or Touch ID. Use a mobile password manager like 1Password or LastPass to keep your passwords strong and unique across all of your devices and accounts.

2.Turn off Lock Screen Notifications

From texts to social media notifications, there’s a lot of personal information that can pop up on your phone’s lock screen for the world to see. Disabling lock-screen app notifications is a simple step for hiding personal details from prying eyes.To disable app notifications on iOS:

- Go to Settings > Notifications.

- Select an app and turn off the “Show on Lock Screen” setting. Or turn off previews for all apps by selecting “Show Previews” and tapping “When Unlocked” or “Never.”

On Android:

- Go to Settings > Lock screen and security > Notifications.

- Toggle “Hide content” to on.

Set text previews so you only see the name of the person texting you or disable previews all together.

On iOS:

- Go to Settings > Notifications > Messages.

- Under Alerts, toggle “Show on Lock Screen” to off. Or, if you never want text previews to pop up, tap “Show Previews” under Options and select “Never.”

On Android:

- Go to Messaging > Settings > Preview Messages.

- Then either turn off the previews or disable notifications.

3.Lock Your Apps

App lockers provide an extra level of security for your apps and work just like the lock you set on your phone. If someone else uses your phone or if your device is stolen, the contents of your apps remain locked behind a passcode.

4.Hide Your Photos

Protect yourself from an instance when someone with your phone swipes past a private photo. Use a photo vault app to store photos that are for your eyes only behind a passcode and keep personal pictures private. You can also set up special albums to share with others.

5.Use A Private Number

If you’re dating or buying and selling items online, don’t give out your private phone number to someone you just met. A burner phone app creates new phone numbers whenever you need them and hides your personal details. You can send and receive texts, calls and photos from your primary device and keep your personal phone number private.

6.Keep Your Browsing Secret

If you use free WiFi hotspots in public spaces, use a VPN to obscure your personal information from anyone who may be lurking on an unsecured public network. Make sure it’s a legitimate VPN service that you pay for and trust to maintain your privacy. Once you get home, keep where you surf a secret by browsing in private or incognito mode.