Tips to Staying Private on Your Smartphone

Smartphones have been created, primarily to improve people’s way of communicating with each other, they have modernized the way we communicate in the past i.e., messaging, call, video chat, and apps that allow people to instantly communicate to anyone across the globe. Although there are many advantages that smartphones have brought in, there are plenty of other noticeable disadvantages like Poor Social Interaction, Distraction, Uncensored Content, Addiction, and Privacy Loss. 

Out of all the above privacy seems to be more alarming and there is a possibility that we are being manipulated, and we need better choices. Technology companies Ethically steer people’s thoughts, Handful of people and a handful of technology companies through their choices will steer what a billion people are thinking today.

It’s all common nowadays that privacy is violated by states and companies. People are not being informed about the monitoring we are placed under, the way our personal data are collected, analyzed, and shared, nor given the opportunity to question these activities.

We all have become unpaid Interns to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google, these have unprecedented access to information who are living in this millennial world. For hackers and stalkers, it’s a buffet lunch and there could unsuspecting attacks anytime and anywhere they wanted. 

Most of the privacy problems arise because of spyware applications, these software programs will let a person secretly monitor and record information about your phone activity. These spyware's normally come along with free applications like social media, scanners, VPN, wallpapers, games, flashlights, weather reports, news and cache cleaner's which are invasive, intrusive, and dangerous. 

Keep your personal information private: -

* Protect yourself from identity theft 

* Protect yourself from financial information

* Protect yourself from freedom of thought

Tips to Stay Private: -

* Virtual Private Network - Use VPN on your phones, it keeps all data that you send and receive on your phone encrypted, private, and secure. Without it, there is a possibility someone could snoop on your connection and intercept sensitive and personal information without your knowledge. It is highly recommended you use a paid VPN service.

* Browsers - Use Privacy Conscious Browsers as TOR, Brave or Duck Duck Go, just in case you don't have the luxury to subscribe for VPN Software. Alternatively use all other browses in incognito mode. 

* Be wary of Unknown Sources - Applications downloaded from non-trusted sources usually have malware within the applications, which causes a serious concern of privacy. Download Apps only from legitimate sources i.e., App Store / Play Store.

* Check app permissions - Be doubly sure when you grant permissions for mobile apps. If you think an application is asking for greater permissions than necessary (i.e., Scanner seeking access to location or microphone), look for an alternative application that takes your privacy more seriously, never blindly accept requests of app permissions.

* Use PIN / Finger Scan - Locking your phone prevents random strangers from being able to get into it and keeps your data private in the event that your phone is stolen or one of your known friends or colleagues “borrows” it.

* Stay Away from Public and Free Wi-fi networks - Free Public and Wi-Fi hotspots are more desirable for hackers as it requires no authentication to establish a network connection. This creates an easy opportunity for the hacker to get unlimited access to unsecured devices on the same network.

* Two-factor authentication (2FA) - It is referred to as dual-factor authentication, is a security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves. This process is done to better protect both the user's credentials and the resources the user can access. The first factor is the password credentials and the second factor is usually either a security token (OTP) or a biometric factor - fingerprint or facial scan.

* Screen Notification - Disable lock screen notifications on your smartphone, it helps you keep your privacy by not letting others know your communications.

* End-to-end encrypted Messengers - The information will be transmitted using a secret code rather than insecure plain text between the sender and receiver which is utmost importance as privacy to safeguarded

* Child Protection - Enable Parental Control, Safe Search, and Play It Safe features on children’s electronic gadgets.

* Storage - Never use public storage for private information purposes, use legitimate cloud locations to store data that are encrypted and properly protected

* Antivirus - Use Original antivirus software that protects you from unknown dangers.

* Charging - Never charge your phones in public places, you could be a victim to phishing or juice jacking

* QR Code - Never Scan QR Code, unless you are sure what it is meant for.

Phone Privacy Setups: -

* https://www.apple.com/in/privacy/control/ 

* https://android.com/security-center  

Social Media Privacy Setups: -

* https://www.facebook.com/help/445588775451827

* https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security/how-to-make-twitter-private-and-public

* https://help.instagram.com/116024195217477

* https://www.dhirubhai.net/help/linkedin/answer/66?lang=en

* https://safety.google/

* https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/security-and-privacy/how-to-change-your-privacy-settings?category=5245250

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