06 Mar How to Protect Personal Data on your Android or Iphone
Bring harmony to the information on your Smartphone
DON’T CALL ME BY MY NAME
At some point, you could have put a “name” on your phone to set up Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or both, or maybe the name was automatically generated during setup.
That means that “Alex Chung’s phone” is visible to the owner of the Wi-Fi network and also to anyone in the neighborhood in case they have Bluetooth enabled.
We recommend that you change your phone’s name to something that identifies you less personally, even if it’s still unique to you. You can do this through these steps:
Android:
- Rename Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi → settings → → Advanced menu / More options → Direct Wi-Fi → Change device name
- Rename Bluetooth: Bluetooth → settings → enable Bluetooth if it’s not enabled → menu → Rename device → disable Bluetooth
Note: There are many different versions of Android, and you may need to search until you find a particular setting. It’s a great opportunity for you to get to know your phone better!
iPhone:
- Rename your phone: General → settings → About → rename
CLEAN YOUR LOCATION FOOTPRINTS
Let’s start by talking about your location data being generated from your phone all the time, even if you’re not using it.
Because data about your location can reveal a lot about who you are and what your interests are, it’s something much desired by tech companies and data merchants: everyone wants a piece of that information.
Although it may seem like this data is just small random units of information, as a whole, it can be enough for someone to build a story about what kind of person you are.
Disable information about your location at any time when you’re not actively using it. This will also make your battery last longer. You can easily enable it when you need to see a map or a weather app, for example.
Take a look at this!: Information Security: Overview, Types, and Applications Explained
SORT YOUR APPS
Every so often it is good to clean the applications that we have installed on our Android or Iphone, especially those that we never use and that collect much more information than they should.
Normally it is not thought that social media applications, games, or the weather have any interest in your data but the truth is that they may be collecting a lot of information.
Deleting apps can be a powerful way to detoxify your digital being/person. In addition, by ordering them you can decrease the use of data and battery, or depending on the application you can even improve the overall performance of your phone.
If you have an account for a determined app you no longer want to use, be sure to close the account from your settings or profile and choose the “delete” or “close/delete account” option.
You can also send a message to the support service asking them to delete your information, delete the applications that you do not use, or that ask you too much of your data, and that are contributing to increase the accumulation of your data.
Cleaning up your apps can make a big difference about how much data you’re sharing, and that can reduce the number of companies that can collect and use your information to make assumptions about you. For many applications there are alternatives that perform the same functionality, but do not collect or sell your information to others.
STRENGTHEN YOUR BROWSER
Your browser is your internet portal, and if you suspect that it contributes a lot to the generation of data about you, you’re just right.
Browsers know quite a bit about you – your location, what you search for on the internet, what websites you use – and they can give that information to others.
We recommend that you install some small extras known as “extensions and add-ons” (those are easy-to-install mini programs that can make your browsing more private).
In both Firefox or Chrome:
- To block spying ads and invisible trackers, install Privacy Badger.
- To ensure that your website connections are encrypted as much as possible, install HTTPS Everywhere: a browser extension that ensures that your communications with any major website are encrypted and protected.
- To block ads, install uBlock Origin: a browser add-on that is more than just an ad blocker, as it also blocks other elements.
If you want to discuss how to protect your android, iphone or PC, contact us! Our SOS Support team is ready to support you!
