Do You Value Your Privacy?
As technology becomes increasingly intertwined with our lives, protecting our files and personal data becomes more and more important. Fortunately, there are many tech resources out there to help you stay private and protect your files and data.
Read on for 5 resources you should use if you value your privacy.
Apple Touch ID & Face ID
Apple values your privacy — they’ve made that clear with some of their recent ads. And their Touch ID & Face ID technologies are about as secure as it gets when it comes to unlocking your devices. According to Apple’s website, “Your fingerprint or face data is converted into a mathematical representation that is encrypted and used only by the Secure Enclave in your Mac or iOS device. This data can’t be accessed by the OS on your device or by any applications running on it. And it is never stored on Apple servers or backed up to iCloud or anywhere else.”
If you have an Apple device, make sure to enable Touch ID or Face ID to keep your information as safe as possible. Android users, maybe this is the feature you need to make the switch.
Chromebooks
Chromebooks set themselves apart from other computers by storing your files in the cloud, not on the computer. So if a Chromebook is hacked into or physically stolen, the thief can’t actually access any files, because there’s nothing there to access. Some files — like downloads, browser caches, and cookies — may still be present on the computer. However, Chromebook encrypts this data with tamper-resistant hardware that’s practically impossible to crack.
Plus, Chromebooks come with built-in antivirus protection and since they can’t download .exe files, it’s impossible to fall prey to a virus or Trojan horse.
Software Updates
Most of us procrastinate installing software updates — they’re inconvenient, take forever, and often make computers slower in the process. But software updates are actually vital to protecting your computer’s data. Software updates often contain fixes to security issues and weaknesses — and hackers find new ways to hack into software almost as fast as developers can fix those weaknesses. By staying up to date on software updates, you’ll be staying ahead of the hackers.
Two-Step Verification
Many sites now use two-step verification, also called two-factor or multi-factor verification. Two-step verification requires an extra level of security besides the username and password — something the user has access to, like a code sent to their cell phone.
Usernames and passwords can be hacked in minutes, so enabling two-step verification makes it much harder for someone to steal your information and files. Websites that allow two-step verification include Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, and many more.
Antivirus Software
Antivirus software protects your computer from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other harmful malware. These invaders can not only cause problematic bugs in your computer’s system, they can also compromise your personal data and files.
There are many free antivirus software out there, but if you’re serious about protecting your electronic files and data it may be worth it to invest in a high quality antivirus.
These are all great examples of brands that walk the walk — not just talk the talk — when it comes to security. By taking all measures to protect their customers’ personal data and files, they show not only that they care about their customers, but that they are brands that can be trusted.