Many people's mobile phones harbor intimate details of their personal lives. Because their phones are now home to pictures, passwords to "fast pay" credit card links and private text conversations, many people would probably now be less upset about losing their wallets than losing their cellphones.
While men and women don't have to become cyber security experts to protect their mobile phone privacy, it pays to take certain steps to safeguard phones from hackers or thieves.
- Familiarize yourself with the "privacy" feature on the settings of your phone. Adjust these settings as necessary, examining the security settings on each app that requires you to enter personal information.
- Turn off geotagging on photos and videos. This way images uploaded to social media will not contain location data.
- Properly vet apps before downloading them. The Wall Street Journal investigated 101 apps in 2010 and found that many share information such as the phone's ID number, location, user's age and gender, and even contacts list.
- Don't allow a smartphone to automatically remember login passwords. And do not store passwords on the phone, whether in an app or in a note file.
- Use the security lockout feature and password protect your phone. Using a mixture of special characters and case-sensitive letters can help make passwords harder to crack.
- Avoid transferring sensitive data at public WiFi spots or over Bluetooth.
- Don't be your own worst enemy. Stop sharing or greatly reduce the amount of personal information you share on social media and in email and text exchanges.
It's difficult to maintain privacy in the digital age. Remaining constantly aware of the security risks and locking down personal information can reduce the risk of having private information made public.
