PRIVACY 101: How to get photos of your home off Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com
Are you thinking of selling your home? Hopefully, you’ve used some of your time to spruce it up. If not, it’s never too late. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, and even minor changes can add considerable value to your sell price later. Tap or click here for five tips on boosting your home’s value.
If you’re not trying to sell your home, there’s no reason to leave interior photos and other details on various real estate sites like Realtor, Zillow and Redfin. This information raises privacy concerns and makes your home a target for criminals.
Public information
When listing a home, sellers want potential buyers to have all the information they need including photos, floor plans, furnishings, appliances and more. But if you just bought a home, you might not want all that information to be readily available to the public.
Does anyone need to know about your Persian rug or stainless steel refrigerator? Do they need to see every entry point for each room? This information puts you at risk from criminals who can gather strategies based on your floor plans. And there is an issue of privacy.
You might assume your real estate agent or seller would remove your home’s info from real estate sites after you’ve made a deal, but that’s typically not the case.
Related: 5 private details about you and your home anyone can find online
A listing network
When selling your home, you likely want as much exposure as you can. A wider audience means more potential offers and hopefully more money in your pocket from the sale.
When your residence is for sale, the broker uploads your home’s information (photos, floor plans and more) to a multiple listing service (MLS). An MLS is where house details and pictures are posted.
This group then distributes the details to online real estate sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin and more. Brokers and agents who subscribe to that MLS (for a membership fee) can access all the information.
Real estate agents can also use the information to post their listings on social media and other online outlets.
Security warning: How to spot fake ChatGPT apps hiding malware
Unless you’ve lived under a rock for a few months, you know about ChatGPT. It’s an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot that can write anything from a speech to a fictional TV episode from your favorite series. Tap or click here for everything you need to know.
The simple but dangerous mistake you make with your phone every day
Your smartphone has many settings to protect your privacy, and you may not always be aware of them. Tap or click here for new iPhone and Android security features to turn on.
Then there’s the other side of the coin. There are some features you should leave off, especially if you’re not using them. Some are minor annoyances, while others can expose you to cybercriminals.
6 data breach dangers lurking in your home and office
Hollywood has helped create an image that instantly pops into our minds when we hear the term cyberattack. Many of us think of a group of devious hackers led by the likes of Hans Gruber from “Die Hard.” While people like Gruber exist, most cybercriminals are simply common thieves looking to rip people off.
Security tip: How to stop websites from tracking you with URLs
Never underestimate the creativity of online advertisers. Now that many browsers block third-party cookies, advertisers use URLs to track you from site to site. In the name of privacy, it’s time to stop URL-tracking links.
Trying to hide private details in a photo? This is the WORST way (but we'll show you the best)
Social media was made for sharing. Family and friends from far away can check out your wedding photos or that delicious steak you had last night. Post pictures of your trip to Bora Bora and let your loved ones live vicariously through you.
Check your phone - These prayer and mental health apps fail to protect your data
Think about all the apps on your phone, and how many of them contain potentially sensitive information. You might have social media accounts, banking details and health records.
You might think apps like that would take your personal information seriously – especially when the subject matter can be sensitive. We all know by now that’s definitely not always the case, and plenty of apps have been known to expose user data. And here we go again.
Protect your sensitive info with this AI-powered tool
Is sending a document to another person online inherently dangerous? You never know who might be waiting for your personal information on the other side. A healthy sense of paranoia might save you a lot of trouble.
Sharing personal documents is nerve-wracking enough to say nothing about sensitive information in a professional context. What if you forget to censor or remove something essential and compromising?
A classic Facebook scam is still going strong - Don't fall for it
If you have spent time on social media over the last few years, you probably know your villain name, which Disney character you are most similar to, or how well your friends know you. Here’s another quiz you should take: Which generation has the worst password habits?
Malware alert: Don't plug this USB drive into your computer
If you run a small business, you know it’s essential to bring in new clientele constantly. Tap or click here for three small business tips that will save you time and money.
One trick companies use for outreach is to give out company-branded gifts. These can include a company-branded pen and notepad, a water bottle or the ever-present company keychain.
These apps leaked personal data on 100M users. Delete them now!
We use mobile apps every day, and when downloading them, we assume our data will be stored securely. Most users don’t even think twice about the possibility that the app they have just installed is a privacy leak waiting to happen.
Warning: Sneaky new malware steals your passwords and messages your contacts
Has your mobile phone felt a bit sluggish lately? Is it not working as smoothly as it should? Does it seem like it might have the flu? No, the coronavirus hasn’t been infecting mobile devices, but your phone might be sick with malware.
Delete this messaging app now! Your photos are at risk
(Updated Dec. 1, 2020 – Despite the app developer working on a fix for this security flaw for over two weeks, the app is still putting users’ personal messages at risk of exposure. We highly recommend deleting this app if it’s on your device.)
Adult streaming website leaks 11 million emails and private chats
Keeping sensitive information secure is getting more difficult by the minute, especially during this pandemic. That’s because cybercriminals are constantly on the attack, adding high tech tools to their arsenal that help them spoof websites, create impressive phishing emails and hack into websites to steal data.
Security warning: Your private chats can be found with a quick Google search
If you’ve ever used a messaging app, you know how convenient it can be. Instead of sending an old-school email and waiting for your friend to check their inbox and get back to you sometime today — or in the next three weeks — you can send a chat and get an instant reply.
Google Photos may have shared your private videos with a stranger
Data breaches and leaks seem to be happening more often these days. In most breaches, you need to worry about sensitive information getting stolen and sold on the Dark Web to people who will use it for identity theft.
Watch out for this one fast-spreading scam
We’re only a couple of weeks away from the official start of the dreaded tax season. The IRS has announced the tax-filing season will begin Monday, Jan. 27, 2020.
And you know what that means. Yep, scammers will be out in full force. Though tax scams can appear all year long, you’re more likely to spot them during filing season. Tap or click here to learn about the last batch of tax scams.