Privacy

Do you follow the security advice from experts and keep a passcode for locking your phone, or do you prefer not to have one? It bears repeating that without a passcode, personal information on your phone can be accessible to anyone who might find it — and could even make the phone easier to steal. If you are worried that a passcode could make it difficult for someone who might find your phone and want to return it, you can always enter a message in a text app with a family member or good friend’s phone number, take a screenshot of the page and save it as your lock-screen wallpaper.

Do you follow the security advice from experts and keep a passcode for locking your phone, or do you prefer not to have one? It bears repeating that without a passcode, personal information on your phone can be accessible to anyone who might find it — and could even make the phone easier to steal. If you are worried that a passcode could make it difficult for someone who might find your phone and want to return it, you can always enter a message in a text app with a family member or good friend’s phone number, take a screenshot of the page and save it as your lock-screen wallpaper.

With the proliferation of “smart” home devices like Amazon’s personal assistant known as Alexa, The New York Times offers some security tips to ensure that your purchase doesn’t become a sci-fi-movie surveillance nightmare. Some of the recommendations from experts include carefully reviewing privacy policies, making sure the device has security features built in, and putting it on a guest Wi-Fi network so it can’t be used to snoop through your data.

With the proliferation of “smart” home devices like Amazon’s personal assistant known as Alexa, The New York Times offers some security tips to ensure that your purchase doesn’t become a sci-fi-movie surveillance nightmare. Some of the recommendations from experts include carefully reviewing privacy policies, making sure the device has security features built in, and putting it on a guest Wi-Fi network so it can’t be used to snoop through your data.

These cold winter months when you are stuck inside more often with your technology is a good time to think about starting some new habits that will help simplify the tech in your life. Creating individual passwords is one thing to think about, and password managing apps can make it easy. Doing some device maintenance, like getting rid of those apps you never use and backing up your photos, can put your mind at ease and keep your devices running smoothly. For more ideas check out Brian Chen’s article Five Resolutions to Simplify Your Tech Life in The New York Times Personal Tech section.

These cold winter months when you are stuck inside more often with your technology is a good time to think about starting some new habits that will help simplify the tech in your life. Creating individual passwords is one thing to think about, and password managing apps can make it easy. Doing some device maintenance, like getting rid of those apps you never use and backing up your photos, can put your mind at ease and keep your devices running smoothly. For more ideas check out Brian Chen’s article Five Resolutions to Simplify Your Tech Life in The New York Times Personal Tech section.

Did your kids seem less than surprised by what they got for holiday gifts? Maybe that is because they got some clues from your browser history or those Internet ads that pop up on websites because of the searches you did. What can you do about those annoying ads? Take a look at this USA Today article entitled How to prevent ads from following you online for more complete advice on cleaning up your online trail and controlling ads you see in Facebook. In a nutshell, clear your browser history after you have finished a gift search and block those cookies. See the article for more step-by-step advice.

Did your kids seem less than surprised by what they got for holiday gifts? Maybe that is because they got some clues from your browser history or those Internet ads that pop up on websites because of the searches you did. What can you do about those annoying ads? Take a look at this USA Today article entitled How to prevent ads from following you online for more complete advice on cleaning up your online trail and controlling ads you see in Facebook. In a nutshell, clear your browser history after you have finished a gift search and block those cookies. See the article for more step-by-step advice.

Are you or your kids waiting to get your hands on a pair of Spectacles from Snapchat? Spectacles are sunglasses with an integrated video camera that makes it easy to create short videos, and marketing experts are saying the influencers your kids follow online (celebrities and bloggers who post “personal reviews” and have millions of followers online) will be using these stylish pieces of hardware in significant ways in 2017. They expect we will see more first person reviews and “unboxings” of products meant to influence teens and other consumers. They also expect that the device will be used to do more first person shoots of extreme sporting events – think of a more advanced Go-Pro. If the thought of these “glasses” is concerning to you, there are already teens posting hacks on how to disguise the spectacles to prevent others from knowing they are being filmed. This obviously raises concerns about video being used to bully and harass since the glasses will do all the work and no one will even have to pull out a phone or use their hands to point and shoot.

Are you or your kids waiting to get your hands on a pair of Spectacles from Snapchat? Spectacles are sunglasses with an integrated video camera that makes it easy to create short videos, and marketing experts are saying the influencers your kids follow online (celebrities and bloggers who post “personal reviews” and have millions of followers online) will be using these stylish pieces of hardware in significant ways in 2017. They expect we will see more first person reviews and “unboxings” of products meant to influence teens and other consumers. They also expect that the device will be used to do more first person shoots of extreme sporting events – think of a more advanced Go-Pro. If the thought of these “glasses” is concerning to you, there are already teens posting hacks on how to disguise the spectacles to prevent others from knowing they are being filmed. This obviously raises concerns about video being used to bully and harass since the glasses will do all the work and no one will even have to pull out a phone or use their hands to point and shoot.