It hasn't been a great year for Facebook. Recently, Android users had to discover on their own that the company was logging their calls and texts in Messenger. However, according to Facebook, all users did approve of the data collection, and as such, all affected users can disable logging as well.
The Android world exploded when it was discovered that Facebook was logging the call and text histories of many of its users, although the company claims those users had explicitly given Facebook permission to log that data. The case remains that many users were unaware of this activity, which occurs on both Messenger and Facebook Lite. Luckily, it's very easy to disable.
For all of its advantages, Facebook Messenger isn't the best for people who like their privacy. The popular app lets all your Facebook friends know when you're online by default, as well as how long you've been idle, making it impossible to check up with one person without leaving yourself vulnerable to your entire friends list. Luckily, this feature is one you can turn off.
Sharing Stories via WhatsApp Status grants your friends access to your daily adventures in the form of GIFs, photos, videos, or simple texts. Like Snapchat, stories you share with your contacts disappear after 24 hours, giving you an extra layer of privacy since anything you post will not be permanent. And if you want to limit who can see your private stories, WhatsApp also has you covered.
Most of the free apps you'll find on the Play Store have ads. These ads are personalized — in other words, they're for products and services Google believes you might be interested in. The way Google knows about your interests is by collecting data from your smartphone, including your location and app usage. While personalized ads have their advantages, the collection of data is unsettling.
Firefox Focus is Mozilla's effort to make your internet experience a little more secure. Originally released in November 2016 for iOS, Focus blocks internet trackers, search history, anything that gets in the way of a clean, private browsing experience.
Apple announced upcoming changes today to prevent third-party tracking of users and prevent autoplay, on Safari. Safari will prevent the recording (by anyone other than Apple) of users' browsing behavior, and by doing so prevent advertisers from targeting ads based on individuals' history.
With the DOJ attempting to rip Apple a new one and an Apple attorney firing back, the President offered his opinion on the recent encryption debacle between the FBI and Apple at SXSW, amidst some talk about the direction of today's tech industry.
Anytime you surf the web on your iPad or iPhone, Safari saves which webpages you visit, the information you enter into them, and other types of data. This not only make your internet experience quicker, but it'll also keep track of everything you're doing.
In February of this year, the Higher Court of Berlin ruled that Facebook must follow strict German data protection laws, which Facebook's terms of services and privacy policies circumvent.
Microsoft's updated web browser, Internet Explorer 10, has only been out for a few days on Windows 8, and there is already a storm of controversy surrounding its launch.
If you've read anything in the news about Skype recently, it probably hasn't been good. First, there was the controversy over the company listening to and recording users' conversations. Now, there's a new spam tool for Skype that can harvest usernames, see whether or not you're online, and even parse your log files. Image by Lloyd Dewolf
If you want to increase your privacy and prevent iPhone apps from gaining access to data containing your location, take a look at this tutorial on turning off the location services in the settings menu on Apple's iPhone 3G devices and above.
The HP TouchPad is a webOS tablet capable of displaying media, browsing and connecting to the web, downloading and accessing apps, and more. This guide walks you through the process of configuring a number of settings on the device. Learn how to adjust the time, location services (GPS), screen lock, privacy features, and more.
A blind carbon copy (or BCC) is a way to send a mass email without letting your recipient see the other email addresses on your list. This computer skill is important in the business world, where privacy is prized. Hiding the addresses when sending your secret message is a useful technique you can use for any email program.
Want to know how to turn off Facebook Places? This quick clip from Lifehacker will teach you everything you'll need to know. Whether you're completely new to the Facebook's popular social networking site or simply require a small amount of clarification on how to deal with the Places feature, you're sure to benefit from this helpful video guide. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Protect your privacy by deleting the temp Internet files on your BlackBerry phone. This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're the proud owner of a BlackBerry smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to be well served by this video guide. For detailed information, including step-by-step instructions, take a look.
A great new feature available on iPhone 4 is folders. By organizing your apps into folders, you will be able to keep your home screen clean and much less cluttered. This will also allow you to stay organized and have a bit more privacy. Check out this tutorial for a step by step on how to set up and use your new folders.
We need to take our privacy and security much more seriously. Whether it's malware-infected apps or the mishandling of our data by companies like Facebook, there are threats all around us in this digital world. Fortunately, some smartphones are simply designed to protect us better.
Smartphones are still "phones," which means communicating with others is usually a primary use. Ranging from a simple "hi" to a more personal conversation and even sharing passwords, our messages should remain private so that only the intended recipient sees their content. While many apps tout end-to-end encryption, not all apps prioritize security and privacy.
Facebook's shadiness when it comes to user privacy has never been much of a secret. The Cambridge Analytica scandal, however, has thrown the company and its practices into the limelight, with users taking their data more seriously than ever. If you're one of those users, you might want to check your "Location History" to see if and how Facebook's kept tabs on your whereabouts.
With a few quick changes to your Facebook privacy settings, you can share your location with only your friends (or disable Facebook's location-tracking feature, Places, altogether). Whether you're completely new to the Facebook's popular social networking site or simply require a small amount of clarification on how to deal with the Places feature, you're sure to benefit from this helpful video guide. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Uncomfortable with Facebook's new geo-tracking feature, Places? Disable it! This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're completely new to the Facebook's popular social networking site or simply require a small amount of clarification on how to deal with the Places feature, you're sure to benefit from this helpful video guide. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Protect your privacy by disabling Facebook Places once and for all. Whether you're completely new to the Facebook's popular social networking site or simply require a small amount of clarification on how to deal with the Places feature, you're sure to benefit from this helpful video guide. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Need some help figuring out how to protect your privacy when using Facebook applications? It's easy! So easy, in fact, that this Facebook user's guide can present a complete overview of the process in about a minute's time. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this guide.
Need some help figuring out how to anonymize your Google searches? With the GoogleSharing Firefox addon, it's easy! So easy, in fact, that this home computing how-to from the folks at CNET TV can present a complete overview of the process in just over a minute and a half. For detailed instructions, and to get started protecting your own privacy online, watch this helpful guide.
See how to protect your home computer from spyware. This home-computing how-to from the folks at CNET TV will teach you what you'll need to know to do just that. For more information, and to get started protecting your Windows PC and your own privacy, watch this helpful video guide.
Password protect your files and folders in Mac OS X. This free video tutorial from CNET TV will show you how. Thwart would-be snoopers with this home cryptography guide, which presents easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on how to protect your privacy by encrypting your sensitive data.
Password protect your files and folders in Microsoft Windows XP or Vista. This free video tutorial from CNET TV will show you how. Thwart would-be snoopers with this home cryptography guide, which presents easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on how to protect your privacy by encrypting your sensitive data.
In this video, learn how to view private MySpace profile pictures. The process is easy & quick. In no time you will surfing MySpace freely with no privacy preferences to stop you.
Don't like the idea that Facebook could recognize your face in a friend's photo and suggest they tag you? Take control of your privacy and learn how to disable Facebook's facial recognition feature for photos. You should know when you're going to be tagged in a photo.
Privacy is important. If having your own Minecraft world isn't enough, build yourself a secret room in your Minecraft world. Watch this video to learn how to build a hidden room, perfect for storage of the most valuable items in Minecraft beta.
Sometimes it's necessary to do a complete restore of a device, even an Android one like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. To reset the Galaxy Tab to its factory settings, hit MENU < SETTINGS < PRIVACY and click on FACTORY DATA RESET. Lastly, click on RESET PHONE (it's okay that it's not a phone) and then ERASE EVERYTHING.
In this tutorial, we learn how to keep personal information private when using Facebook. It's an easy process and this video presents a complete guide. For more information, including a full demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this helpful home-computing how-to.
Google calls it "Incognito," Microsoft says "InPrivate," the other browsers call it "Private Mode," and colloquially it's known as "porn mode." Whatever you call the tracks-free way to browse, here's a trick to force your favorite browser to always start with its privacy protocols activated.
Protect your privacy by editing or completely erasing your Amazon search history. It's easy. And this brief video tutorial from the folks at Butterscotch will teach you everything you need to know. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started managing your own web pages with Google Sites, take a look.
This clip offers easy-to-follow instructions on how to adjust your Facebook privacy settings to prevent your friends (and others) from checking you into locations through of Facebook's Places feature. For more information, and to see how to turn off Places yourself, watch this helpful video guide.
Protect your privacy by using Google Search over SSL. With Firefox, it's easy! And this brief video tutorial from the folks at Butterscotch will teach you everything you need to know. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started using Google Search in SSL mode yourself, take a look.
Protect your Facebook posts! This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're completely new to the Facebook's popular social networking site or simply require a small amount of clarification on how to perform a particular task on Facebook, you're sure to benefit from this helpful video guide. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Protect your privacy. With this free video tutorial, you'll learn a method for clearing your Google search history in the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Note, however, that this only works locally and therefore will only prevent those who share the same computer as you from seeing your search history.
