Articles tagged: privacy

Publicly posting email and phone on a "Hello my name is" badge

Are You Giving Away Your Privacy?

We rail against intrusions into our private affairs and private information and then post our private information publicly. Where’s the logic in that?

A realistic hand holding a smartphone displaying a map, with recognizable landmarks in the background..

The Surprising Ways Your Videos Can Expose Your Location

Something many people do every day may expose their location in ways they don’t know.

A photorealistic image of a modern smartphone on a light background. The smartphone should be centrally positioned and turned on, displaying the Google logo prominently on its screen. The phone design should be sleek and contemporary, with a high-resolution display showcasing the Google logo clearly and vividly. The background should be light and neutral, complementing the smartphone and making the Google logo stand out as the focal point of the image.

Yes, You Should Give Google Your Mobile Number

Google uses your mobile number for verification if you lose access to your account. Some people don’t want to provide it. They should.

Is Private Browsing Really Private?

Incognito, Private, or In Private modes protect your privacy to a point. It’s critical to know where that point is.

A digital collage illustrating the concept of email privacy and security on a white background. Centered is a large, open laptop, symbolizing a secure email service. Around the laptop, include a lock representing security, an envelope with a shield for encrypted email, and a mobile phone with a red cross, indicating the option to create an email account without a phone number. The background should be plain white, with minimal digital motifs, focusing on the clarity and simplicity of the concept of digital communication and privacy.

Can You Make an Email Without a Phone Number?

There are legitimate reasons for not wanting to give your phone number to an email service. Let’s look at alternatives.

See Ya!

If I Leave a Service Like LastPass, Does My Data Remain Online?

When you leave a service, or if your information is stolen from that service, there may be steps you need to take.

Computer Spy

They Set Up My Computer and Now My Ex Is Spying on Me. What Can I Do?

Trust is tricky when it comes to computers. When you add relationships to the mix, things quickly get complicated.

Facebook locked

Why Does My Facebook Post Show as “Unavailable” to Some People?

Sharing posts you find on Facebook often results in an “unavailable” message. That’s Facebook respecting privacy settings.

Searching for something very personal.

“Right to Be Forgotten”: Misguided and Misleading

“The right to be forgotten” is a misleading and ineffectual technique to prevent people from finding information on the internet. Bottom line: it can’t work.

Spying

Can My Boss See My Mail and Instant Messages?

When using your company’s machine and/or network, it’s safe to assume that your boss or IT department can see your emails, instant messages, and everything else.

Bridge of Trust

Protecting Your Privacy: Points of Vulnerability

Tracing the privacy and security of the path from your fingertips through the services you use to your information’s final destination.

Facebook Tossed in the Trash.

How Do I Delete My Facebook Account Permanently?

Deleting your Facebook account requires some preparation, including understanding exactly what you’ll lose.

Spying Through a Keyhole

How Does Facebook Track Me Even If I Don’t Have an Account?

Facebook can use standard web protocols to get an idea of what you’re doing online, even if you don’t have an account.

Hard Disks (HDD & SSD)

How Should I Wipe My Hard Drive in Windows Before Giving It Away?

Erasing your hard drive before you give it away is important. Exactly how thorough an erase you need depends on your data and level of paranoia.

Privacy in Windows 10?

Setting up Windows 10 for Privacy

Windows 10 privacy seems to be somewhat of an oxymoron, at least based on reputation. I’ll review the choices you can make at setup to retain some control.

Facebook

Facebook Privacy Settings 2021

You can and should be aware of and control your Facebook privacy settings.

Personal Privacy

The Biggest Risk to Your Privacy Revealed

We worry a lot about privacy, but our concerns are often misplaced. Fortunately, the biggest risk to our personal privacy is right under our nose.

Privacy?

You’re Just Not That Interesting (Except When You Are)

Worried about privacy? I believe we over-imagine the risks and at the same time are our own worst enemies.

Working From Home

Can My Workplace See What Else I Do When I Work from Home?

Working from home can be convenient, or even a necessity. Does it open up your other online activity to scrutiny by your company?

VPN

How Does a VPN Protect Me?

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a fully encrypted, private internet connection via a VPN provider. I’ll look at what protection it offers.

Downloading

Can the Owner of an Open WiFi Hotspot See What Files I’m Downloading?

Open WiFi hotspot downloads are available for the internet cafe owner to see. Whether or not they take the time to do it is another story!

Goodbye!

How Do I Remove Myself from a Machine?

Although there’s no way to remove all traces of yourself from a machine, there certainly are ways to remove as much as you can.

TOR - The Onion Router

Tip of the Day: What Makes the Dark Web Dark

If I Do These Things, Will I Be Anonymous?

Anonymity on the internet is really, really hard. Some of the practices we might use to stay anonymous could still be leaking identifiable, traceable information.

Camera privacy settings in Windows 10

Tip of the Day: See and Control Webcam Access in Windows 10

Are My Skype Calls Recorded?

Are My Skype Calls Recorded?

Skype calls recorded by Skype? Possible, but until recently, highly unlikely. However, there’s a much scarier scenario that no technology can prevent.

Computers at a library

How to Keep Information on a Shared Computer Private

When using a shared computer, it’s too easy for others to see your data or history. If you must use a shared computer, you need to protect yourself.

Supercookies and Evercookies and No Cookies at All: Resistance Is Futile

Supercookies and Evercookies and No Cookies at All: Resistance Is Futile

So-called “supercookies” and “evercookies” track the websites you visit even if you regularly disable or flush normal cookies.

Windows 10 Desktop

Should I Upgrade to Windows 10?

The most common question related to Windows 10 seems to be “Should I upgrade?” I’ll cover my recommendations.

Windows 10 Change Privacy Options

Adjusting Windows 10 Privacy Settings

We’ll look at how to review and adjust privacy settings in several areas of Win10.

Is “Windows 10 Privacy” an Oxymoron?

Windows 10 has been criticised for encroaching on users privacy. Is it an issue? Is Microsoft being evil? Or is it something else?

Chrome Passwords and Forms

Why Is Chrome Automatically Filling in Forms?

Web browsers like Google Chrome try to be helpful by recognizing commonly used forms and fields and remembering previously entered information for you. It’s no conspiracy, but it can seem spooky.

Privacy

About that Facebook test…

Facebook did some testing. It’s made some people upset. What’s important to realize is that testing is ubiquitous on the web and happens in many different ways.

Browser Extension Warning

Do privacy apps really keep me private?

Privacy on the internet means different things to different people. I discuss three different privacy applications out there, explain what exactly each does, and offer some of my own thoughts.

Gmail open in one other location

Why Do I Always Have to Sign Out Other Sessions in Gmail?

Isolating other sessions in Gmail can become pretty complex. We’ll walk through a number of scenarios.

Delete

Does deleting things really delete things?

Deleting items on your computer usually doesn’t wipe them clean. That’s an extra step.

Does visiting a search-engine cached page prevent the original site from noting my visit?

Even a cached version of a website could send information about you back to the original server. The thing is that we just don’t (and can’t) know.

Searching

Can Search Engines Track My Searches?

Search engines have numerous (and quite amazing) ways to gather information on people and the way they search. It’s nothing to worry about unless you have some critical need for privacy.

Explosion

How Do I Remove Only My Personal Information from a Computer?

Unfortunately, there is no practical way to determine what is and what isn’t personal information. Securing a computer to give away is an all-or-nothing proposition.

Hacker

Can my boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse tell that I’ve hacked into their account?

Once you’ve hacked into someone else’s account you’ve not only done something morally wrong – you’re at risk of being found out.