The thing about passwords is that while they can be impossible to come up with and difficult to remember, they are generally pretty good at protecting your information.Whether it’s for a website like Facebook or Amazon or something with your credit card or bank, it is important that you are the only person who knows the combination of letters, numbers and symbols that are on our keyboards but only get used for this very purpose.

Make sure it stays that way

It used to be that the most likely way someone else would learn your password was from reading it on the post-it note you wrote it on, but as we all know that is no longer the case. Hackers have their ways, with their efforts making headlines as more companies have had their data breached. Hopefully, none of your passwords or information were stolen at any point, but if any of it has been, would you want to know?If you have a 1Password membership, you can.The app, which is used to safely store your passwords has released a proof-of-concept feature that will allow users to check to see if any of their passwords have, in fact, been compromised and leaked on the internet.It’s actually quite simple to use since all you need to do is log into your account on 1Password.com and click Open Vault. From there, you select an item in the vault, before pressing either shift-control-option-C or shift+Ctrl+Alt+C, whichever your operating system requires. That will open up the proof of concept, which will then allow you to check to see if your passwords are safe.It all looks like this:As you can see, the app will quickly show you if there is a reason to worry. If not, great. If so, it would be advisable to change your password.The feature, which 1Password says will be added to Watchtower within its app, makes use of haveibeenpwned.com’s database of leaked account information. That site allows you to enter an email address and learn if it was part of a breach, and even if it was, there is no guarantee your account is in peril.Regardless, in a day and age where we do everything online and have multiple passwords meant to safeguard our information, it is always good to be mindful and ensure that your accounts stay yours.Have a question about tech issues? Kim has your answer! Click here to send Kim a question, she may use it and answer it on her radio show.The Kim Komando Show is broadcast on over 450 stations. Click here to find the show time in your area.

You may have unknowingly given the OK for sites to track you

Do you know anyone who even reads privacy policies? You know, those cryptic agreements websites and services make you go through before you can start using them. Well, turns out clicking “OK” means you are good with your data being collected and, possibly, sold. Click here to learn about a site that will show you what exactly you are agreeing to.