💳 ICYMI, a PayPal update: Starting Nov. 27, PayPal will share all your purchasing data with third-party merchants — think products, preferences, sizes and styles. Yes, you can stop it. In the app, tap your profile photo at the top right, followed by Data and privacy. Under Manage shared info, tap Personalized shopping and toggle off the switch. On desktop, click the settings gear icon in the top right, then select Data & Privacy > Personalized shopping to toggle off the slider. It never stops …
Hard drive 101: How to buy, store and protect yours
All that drive space that comes with your computer, phone or tablet can quickly fill up, especially if you’re a movie fan, gamer or just have a lot of photos to store. The quick and easy fix? Pick up an external drive.
You can use these drives for backups, too. If a disaster strikes your laptop — it gets lost, looted or breaks down — you’ll be glad to have copies of your important data somewhere safe.
How to pick the best drive
The most important spec is storage space. I’ll keep it simple: Buy as much space as you can afford.
Then, determine whether you need a solid-state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD). HDDs use older and slower tech but give you a whole lot of bang for your buck. If you need to store a lot of files but don’t need to access or edit them often, HDD is the way to go. Otherwise, SSD is best for your needs, since it has much faster data read/write speeds.
The picks below are all compatible with PCs, Macs, Android devices, gaming consoles and others:
💰 Budget: The $79.99 SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500GB (11% off) gives you plenty of space in a stylishly compact, hard shell you can take anywhere. The $59.99 WD Elements Portable HDD 1TB gives you even more room. Both brands are super-reliable when it comes to keeping your data safe and sound. (I’m astounded you can pick up 1TB for $60! I remember when that was $500 in 2007.)
💰💰 Midrange: With the $129.99 Seagate Portable HDD 5TB, you’ll get a massive amount of storage in a compact form for not much money at all. The $169.99 Samsung T7 Portable SSD 2TB (37% off) gives you less room for more money, but it does have the benefit of SSD, so it’s incredibly fast — and about the size of a deck of cards.
💰💰💰 Premium: The $295 Samsung T7 Shield SSD 4TB (44% off!) is ultra-fast and can handle dust, water and drops better than almost all other drives — it’s the ultimate in external drives, really. The $254.99 WD Elements HDD 16TB (14% off) is big and chunky by comparison and needs a separate power cable, but it still gives you a massive amount of space for all your files.
How to look after your drive
External drives don’t need much in the way of maintenance. Once they’re set up, you can generally leave them be. With that said, there are ways to make sure your drive has a long (and healthy!) life:
- It’s not a coaster for your coffee mug: Keep your drive on a flat, hard surface with plenty of ventilation space around it. Make sure ports and any vents are kept clean. I like a dry, lint-free cloth for this.
- Connect and disconnect: If you’re not using your drive for a while or you’re taking it somewhere else, unplug it from your desktop or laptop computer. This reduces the chance of your data becoming accidentally corrupted.
- Use the bundled cables: For power and data, make sure you’re using the cables provided with the drive — or, at least, high-quality replacements. You don’t want a cheap cable affecting the data on your drive.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
6 everyday objects that can threaten your cybersecurity
We have to worry about many forms of cyberattacks, from phishing to spyware. Since we know about these digital threats, we tend to be more careful online. However, you also have to defend against physical cybersecurity threats.
How to see (and fix) all your compromised passwords on your iPhone
Account credentials are getting more difficult to protect. Hackers are everywhere and target your online accounts, no matter what they are. Tap or click here for details on a recent data breach that put millions of seniors at risk.
A big reason you should stop using Google Chrome on your smartphone
Google’s Chrome browser is one of the most powerful tools available to surf the internet, but it has several flaws. Tap or click here for a free, fast test to see how much private info your browser is leaking. For one, Chrome needs a lot of RAM to operate properly.
🚨 Data disaster: Archive.org, the internet’s digital library, just suffered a massive breach, leaking 31 million records — emails, addresses, screen names and hashed passwords. The site claims a DDoS attack, but reports confirm it was actually hacked. The cherry on top? Hackers temporarily posted on the homepage, “See 31 million of you on HIBP!” That’s Have I Been Pwned.
Robot vacuums have a lot of dirt on you. Is yours sharing data?
It’s not uncommon to have your data gathered and shared by smart devices. Part of what makes them “smart” is that they are built to help automate your home or other parts of your life.
But while most of us expect our smart speakers or the apps on our phones to gather data, we may not put much thought into other smart devices we use. After all, how much data can a smart thermostat, robovac or smart plug gather on you? To buy or not to buy: Hot tech products that put your privacy at risk
Hacker exposes 99% of Parler messages and posts, including location data
To say Parler has had an eventful week would be the understatement of the year. First, Apple and Google booted it from their app stores. Then, an Amazon subsidiary deactivated the app, so you can’t find it anywhere.
Top security settings for Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy and Fitbit
When we think about smartwatches, convenience comes to mind. These smart devices make it easy to check messages, make phone calls, listen to podcasts or music, track fitness or even complete contactless purchases.
What we don’t often think about is how much information these little devices hold. Smartwatches are like miniature versions of our smartphones — which means they contain a ton of personal data. Your payment information and personal data are all up for grabs via your watch. Even the health apps you use can put your privacy at risk if you aren’t careful.
Whoops! Social networking app that promises privacy exposed private messages
Data security is one of the most important aspects of any social network. Without it, personal data like names, phone numbers and email addresses can easily leak online. And when this data leaks, you can bet scammers and hackers will make the most of it.
COVID-19 exposure notification alerts: How to opt-out on iPhone and Android
Apple and Google’s joint contact tracing program has finally launched to the world at large. And so far, it seems, the results are decidedly mixed.
Whether it’s due to low adoption rates or data security issues, contact-tracing apps just won’t seem to catch on among the general public. Tap or click here to see why some people fear these apps could lead to security trouble down the road.
Porn site suffers massive data breach - credit cards, social security numbers and worse
No matter where you visit on the web, there’s always potential for danger. Cybercriminals just keep getting better at tricking and attacking users’ privacy, which is why so much of the web requires secure encryption and more to gain access.
Worst companies for data privacy? You've got to see this list
At Komando.com, we’re always on the lookout for new information that will help you protect your online privacy. The digital world is constantly changing, and making informed decisions about where you share your data is critical in this day and age. With so many platforms to socialize and do business with, knowing safe places from unsafe ones can mean the difference between browsing in peace versus facing down hackers, targeted advertising, or worse.