Check your permissions: Certain websites may have access to your webcam and microphone. To check in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox, click the icon to the left of the address bar. In Safari on a Mac, open the Safari menu and pick Settings for …
You’re being tracked secretly by 3 settings on your phone
When mobile apps first hit the scene, many were designed to make our phones more useful. This included new tools for productivity, as well as apps for entertainment. Many of today’s apps, though, are packed with sneaky permission requests and hidden trackers.
These tactics are legal because app developers (and the companies behind them) have to give you a choice to opt in or out of these tracking permissions. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to do that … or the developers make it really challenging to figure it out.
Keep reading, and I’ll walk you through how to turn off these invasive tracking options.
⚠️ A heads-up before we get into the settings
Many smartphones use your location data to send info to first responders in an emergency. When you’re changing your settings, you may see an option to allow emergency services to bypass certain restrictions.
Also, some apps might not function correctly after you disable tracking features (think ride-hailing and fitness-tracking apps). For apps you use a ton and trust with your data, keep your location access enabled.
Then, there’s personalization — and it’s not just about seeing fewer targeted ads. Turning off certain settings could impact other app features, like nearby places, weather alerts and commute times.
🍎 Apple fam, let’s do this
When you stop something like location tracking at the iOS level, all the apps you’ve installed have to abide by those rules. That means you don’t need to change the setting for every single app, in some cases. Score.
1. Ad tracking
Developers know what you’re doing in their apps, sure, but some want to follow you around the web, seeing where you go, when you have your phone with you and even other apps you’ve installed. Why? To build a detailed profile of who you are, which allows for even more targeted advertising. Worse, many take your data, package it up and sell it off to other companies. No, thanks.
You’ll need to change your ad tracking on an app-by-app basis, but Apple makes it easy. Head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking to block apps and stop them from asking for permissions in the first place.
ExpressVPN amps up security with game-changing features
The VPN game has been seriously upgraded! My sponsor, ExpressVPN, recently rolled out a slew of feature-packed updates. ExpressVPN pushes the envelope to keep your digital life locked down, from ad-blockers to a beefed-up server network.
Hey, Android owners: Google Messages is rolling out a new feature within “Profile sharing” that lets you customize how you’re seen by others you’re messaging. The next time you open the app, follow the prompt or navigate to your avatar menu to adjust your name and photo and how they’re shared. You’ll have three options to choose from: People you message, Only your contacts or No one.
What percentage of Americans admit to routinely spying on their partner’s phone and checking their text messages?
Google alternatives that don’t sell all your data
Google is one of the best examples of “If it’s free, you’re the product.” And its employees, business decisions, stock price, biases and preferences have a big impact on what its “products” (Smile! That’s you and me!) see when we use Google Search.
These apps are the biggest oversharers on your phone
I talk a lot about how most apps default to automatically sharing your data with advertisers and marketing companies. But some apps share your personal info with other people by default.
Yeah, no, thank you. Let’s end this today. Here are the most common app oversharers on your phone and how to get them to stop.
My shredder is so lonely: Stop preapproved credit cards and insurance offers coming to your physical mailbox with OptOutPrescreen. You can stop offers for five years or forever. I picked forever.
Quick privacy tip: Task Manager on a Windows PC and Activity Monitor on a Mac can give you an overview of everything happening on your machine. On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Click the Processes tab. On a Mac, hit Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search. Then, type Activity Monitor and press Enter. See anything weird? Google it before you panic.
🥶 Pass me a cold one: Relay hacks and keyless jamming are ways someone can take over your car’s key fob. Paid solution: Buy a signal-blocking case, like this shielded RFID-blocking pouch. Free solution: Put your key fob in the refrigerator or freezer; the multiple layers of metal block the signal.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
How did he think this would work? A woman got a disturbing text after a guy saw her phone number on her luggage tag. “I saw you and thought you were so beautiful, so I had to find a way to talk to you.” Even worse, he might know where she lives since her address was also on the tag. Tip: Use luggage tags with covers.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Leave the oversharing to your aunt on Facebook: Some apps share your data with other people, not just advertisers. This includes big names like Google Maps and Venmo. Here’s how to change the privacy settings. (I wish I had room for all the steps here!)
Google isn’t going to hand your location to the police anymore: Location History (aka Timeline) tracks your every move, and cops were able to pull your data from Google’s servers if you were near a crime scene at the wrong time. Now it’s being stored on-device only, so police will have to come to you directly with a warrant.
Not today, Amazon: Your Echo will hold onto your voice recordings for analysis unless you tell it not to. In your Alexa app, choose More > Settings > Alexa Privacy > Review Voice History. Here, you can delete recordings to your heart’s content.
Check your consumer report: It contains real estate transaction and ownership data; lien, judgment and bankruptcy records; professional license info; and addresses. Go to the LexisNexis Consumer Disclosure Report page and click Request a Consumer Disclosure Report Online. Fill out your name and address, then click Submit Request. The waiting is the hardest part.
Don’t be that person: People are spilling way more personal info to chatbots than they ever did to online search engines like Google. Take the man asking ChatGPT to save his marriage, the school case manager sharing specific details on students’ learning disabilities, and a minor worried about legal charges. Be smart and know anything you say to a bot can become public.
👀 Put your LinkedIn into “sneaky mode”: Unless you go into Private mode, anyone whose profile you browse will know. Go to LinkedIn, click your profile icon at the top > Settings & Privacy > Visibility. Next to Profile viewing options, click Change and choose Private mode. Done!
Save money on Wi-Fi while on the seven seas: Going on a cruise? Keep your data safe with a portable router (30% off, nice). Once you’re aboard and purchase the ship’s Wi-Fi package, connect the router to their network. Bam, your own private network. Connect all your devices without paying extra for Wi-Fi plans.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Turning off alerts from your video doorbell is a mistake: Instead, set up custom motion zones. On a Ring doorbell, open the Ring app and select your device. Go to Motion Settings > Edit Motion Settings. To go into full don’t-bug-me mode, choose People Only.
Get an unknown call? Type the phone number into Google, Bing or Yahoo in quotation marks for a precise match. Results often include websites, forums or consumer complaint boards where that number may have been reported. While you’re at it, file a report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.