Security & Safety Resource Center

Some people choose to stay logged into their Venmo account because it eliminates a step when they want to exchange money with someone quickly and easily. However, this puts your security at risk. Staying logged in will make it easier for someone to hack your account and steal your information. Log out of Venmo whenever you are done using it. To do this:

• Tap the three horizontal lines on the top right of your screen.
• Select Settings.
• Scroll to the bottom and tap Sign Out of Venmo.

Many people set a four- or six-digit numeric PIN for their iPhones, but you can add another layer of security. If your passcode contains letters, numbers and symbols, it will be much more difficult for someone to guess. To upgrade your passcode:

• Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Change Passcode > Passcode Options.
• Select Custom Alphanumeric Code.
• Enter your new passcode.

Linking your credit card to your Venmo account is safer than linking your debit card because credit cards have more legal protections governing fraud than debit cards. Additionally, when someone steals from your debit account, they are taking money directly from your pocket. However, when someone steals from your credit card, they aren’t taking your actual money, and the bank will likely resolve it before any money actually comes out of your account

Your Instagram likely contains personal photos and information about your location. Making your account private will hide everything but your profile picture and a brief description from anyone whom you do not accept as a follower. It even hides the posts that you “like.” To make your account private:

• Select Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy.
• Toggle Private Account to On.

If you use Robinhood for your investments, you should take your security very seriously. Hackers may try to obtain your username, password or Social Security number with phishing attempts. For reference, Robinhood Support will never do the following:

• Send you links within text messages.
• Ask you to send money through third parties.
• Ask for your password.
• Ask for your information regarding other accounts.
• Ask that you download remote desktop access software.

Phishing emails are usually carefully crafted to look like authentic communications. They still give themselves away in subtle ways, though. For example, look at the subject line closely: If it includes your email address or an all-caps call to action, don’t engage.

Unlike Alexa devices, Google Nest has a feature called “Voice Match,” which learns your voice over time. Once your device knows your voice, no one will be able to use your Google Home except for you, which will prevent third parties from accessing the device for your stored information. To set up Voice Match:

• Select and verify your account in the Google Home app.
• Select Assistant Settings > Voice Match > Add Devices.
• Agree and follow the in-app steps.

Some email newsletters can be useful if they’re relevant to your interests, as they provide regular updates. But many of them just can eat up a lot of space in your inbox and put you at unnecessary risk, by raising the possibility you’ll click through to a page that’s trying to capture information about you. So, go through and unsubscribe from them if it’s not useful to you.

Kiddle is powered by Google Safe Search, and it’s designed to be a secure environment for kids. The search results are organized so that articles written specifically for children appear first and all articles that appear are appropriate for young ones. It does not collect any personal information, and logs are automatically erased every 24 hours.

Are you thinking about recycling, trading or handing down your mobile device? After first backing up your data, be sure you do a factory reset, so that the new recipient won’t be able to see anything private personal information you left behind.

If you enable push notifications on your Venmo account, you will be notified whenever there is a transaction. If this is in place, you will be alerted immediately when there is fraudulent activity on your account — even if Venmo doesn’t recognize it as fraud — and you can resolve it right away. To enable push notifications on Venmo:

• Go to Settings > Alerts and Notifications > Push.
• Customize push notification settings.

The more accounts you connect to your Google Nest device, the more convenient it is. However, some accounts are better left disconnected, like your online banking account. Information that stays within Google is encrypted, but information that goes from your Google Nest to a third-party is not necessarily protected.

If you appreciate Google for its accuracy in finding relevant information while you’re searching, but don’t appreciate the added tracking and clickable ads, Startpage might be a great alternative for you. This privacy-focused search engine pays Google for the right to use its search algorithm, so you get results that are just as helpful, but it doesn’t save, sell or share any of your search data. It also does not support third-party trackers or cookies, and it provides an option to browse even more privately with Anonymous View.

While private browsers provide more security, some people prefer Firefox because they believe it’s faster, more customizable and promotes the use of open-source web technologies. If you prefer to use Firefox, you should take extra precautions. Make sure that your privacy is protected by routinely deleting your search history. To do this:

• Select Tools > Options > Privacy.
• Clear your history.

Email attachments are to some degree unavoidable in normal personal and business communications. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to minimize your exposure. Don’t open any attachments from people not in your contacts list and ask senders if they can share the document via a cloud link instead, which tends to be much safer.

Your Alexa device may wake up if you accidentally say its wake word or if you say a word that is similar. This has resulted in Alexa devices recording private conversations, sending unwanted text messages or even making unintentional purchases. Alexa typically responds when you talk to it, but you may not be able to hear its response if you are in another room or in the middle of a conversation with someone else.

Epic Privacy Browser is secure because it uses a virtual private network (VPN) with servers in eight countries and provides free VPN access. It blocks ads, trackers, fingerprinting, cryptomining and ultrasound signaling, and it can stop over 600 tracking attempts every browsing session. Epic Privacy Browser is available for Apple, Windows and Android devices. To download, simply visit their website and click “Download Epic Now.”

Recent events have seen a big rise in the use of online shopping, mobile payments and online banking, it’s more important than ever to keep an eye on your financial accounts for possible fraud. Check your bank and credit card statements regularly to make sure there’s nothing wrong.

If you have an Alexa device, you can set it up so that it will purchase items when you ask it to. However, this gives anyone in your home, including guests, the power to buy something with your credit card easily. It’s more secure to enable a PIN that you also have to say along with your purchase. This is an option when you set up voice purchases in your account. It’s also best to make sure that no one is within earshot when you say your PIN to your device.

Like most other private search engines, Ecosia does not sell your search data to third parties, nor does it use trackers to monitor the sites that you visit. An added benefit of using Ecosia is that they operate with a “green computing” angle. They use the income that they generate from search ads to plant trees and so far, they have planted over 199 million.

It’s a bad idea to keep all of your important photos, videos, documents and apps that you would never want to lose track of on one local system that hasn’t been backed up. Best practice is to maintain multiple copies across different locations, using online backup and/or external hard drive solutions as needed.

Countless smartphones, tablets and laptops are eventually abandoned by their manufacturers, at least when it comes to regular security and operating system updates. When this happens to a device you rely on, consider switching it out for a newer or alternative version or one that is still getting these critical patches and upgrades.

You should edit your public LinkedIn profile to hide unnecessary personal data, like your ZIP code or contact information. To do this:

• Select your picture in the top right corner.
• Select View Profile > Edit Public Profile and URL > Select Edit Content.
• Make any edits necessary and save.

Words that sound close enough to the device’s wake words could enable it to record your conversations. Similar to your Alexa device, it will only retain relevant information. However, to protect your privacy as much as possible, you could mute the device when you’re not expecting to use it. You can do this by pushing the microphone button on the back of the speaker.

You have probably run a decent amount of searches through Google over the years. Google has a record of all of these requests. By visiting the My Activity page for your Google account, you can select the menu specified by the three dots icon and choose to delete some or all of this activity to preserve greater privacy.

Most organizations – banks, universities, companies, etc. –  will not request your personal information over email. Do not disclose personally identifiable information online such as your full name, telephone number, address, social security number, insurance policy number, credit card information, or doctor’s name. Avoid opening attachments, clicking on links, or responding to email messages from unknown senders or companies that ask for your personal information.

Google Chrome is a popular browser because it is convenient, user-friendly and reliable. However, it is not as secure as private browsers because it allows your IP to be tracked. If you prefer to use Google Chrome, use the incognito mode for all of your private browsing. It does not fully protect your privacy, but it adds a layer of security by not storing any of your search history locally. To use incognito mode on a Windows, Linux or Chrome OS device, press Control + Shift + N.

Your Alexa device keeps recordings of some of the things you say to it. Only recordings that are considered relevant are retained, however, that could be more than you realize. If you don’t want a record of what you’ve said to your Alexa device, delete your voice recordings every night. Just say “Alexa, delete what I said today.” Make it a habit to do it every night right before bed so that you delete everything from the whole day.

It’s just one letter, but there’s a big difference between HTTP and HTTPS in a URL. HTTPS encrypts all page and form data on the site in question, making it crucial when using sensitive applications like online banking or online shopping. While using Wi-Fi in a cafe, hotel or school, check for HTTPS, it is critical to stop others on the network from seeing what you’re doing.

Tor allows for anonymous browsing, and it utilizes a distributed network in order to hide your IP address. This is significant because it ensures a high level of security whether you download the browser itself or add it as a plugin. Tor is not available in all countries, so be sure to check if it is censored in yours or not.