Archives - Personal Information

Don’t interact with cyberbullies

Whether you’re a kid or an adult, it’s not uncommon to encounter a cyberbully while using the internet. In either case, you should never escalate the situation and antagonize a cyberbully – especially if they have access to any of your personal information. Responding with hostility will only provoke the bully and make matters worse. […]

Never block your full name or address in a chat filter when live streaming

Whether you’re a gamer, influencer or you just like going live once in a while, it’s important to take the necessary safety measures to protect your identity. This might include hiding your real name, address and other personally identifiable information. Some live streaming services allow you to block certain words or phrases from appearing in […]

Protect your personal data when you’re not at home

Even if you’re not home and using your devices, hackers could still break their way into your network or crack your computer. One way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to disconnect the device from your internet connection entirely. Without a network connection, they can’t access your device or steal your data. But you can […]

Check to see if your data has been breached

Are you positive your personal information hasn’t already been compromised? That’s a scary question to ponder, but an important one to have answered. Use a website that checks your phone number or email address against a database of known data breaches for free. This might give you peace of mind that your information is still […]

Think twice before saving your payment information online

If you frequently shop from one particular website you may be tempted to save your payment information for a faster checkout process. Although quick and convenient, saving credit card numbers online means putting your financial information in the hands of someone else. If that data were ever compromised, your credit card information could be stolen […]

Don’t let Cortana collect your information

If you’re using Windows, you might be familiar with Cortana – Microsoft’s adaptive virtual assistant. You probably wouldn’t be surprised that Cortana collects data about you. But did you know that it also collects speech and handwriting patterns, typing histories and more? Here’s how you can restrict the type of data that Cortana collects: Go […]