Anti – Virus
Anti – Virus programs will help you defend against suspicious downloads, and in some cases will scan links for you. For most people who work in a corporation / go to an educational institution, these programs can be free/ discounted. If you aren’t already using it, getting an Anti – Virus is a step in the right direction for increasing your mobile data security.
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
A virtual private network links your home network, to the public internet in a more secure way by limiting where you device traffic will hit. For mobile users this is super useful because you are more exposed to foreign networks/ more inclined to use cellular service. A VPN is a tool that millions of people are using now that the work force has shifted to remote.
Internet Privacy Filter (Winston)
Winston filters ads, tracking and big tech spying on every device you own, even the ones you can’t install software on. Cutting the bloat makes pages load faster, and reduces that amount of personalized information your end traffic broadcasts.
Winston works by cloaking your IP address through up to 30 locations at once confuses eavesdroppers, hackers and big tech tracking while encryption helps protect you against hacking and identity theft.
This is severe measure to take for people who are serious about curbing the chance of a data leak.
Properly Reading Terms & Conditions
Most people don’t read terms & conditions as well as privacy statements. By reading these you are preaching best practices regarding your data. By setting this new standard, we can eventually discourage companies to stop sneaking in legal ways to not take liability. Ensure you understand the terms, and seek outside resources if you don’t. Companies invest millions in lawyers to draft these in order to absolve liability. You should at least invest 20 minutes into protecting your data.
Encryption
It is important to password protect as much as possible. You do it with your bank, you should be doing it with your data. Always password protect your phone, as well as your saved information can reduce the stress of being exposed to possible leaks.
Here are some tips for stronger passwords
Don’t use common phrases, they are easier to guess. Avoid using personalized words like names, birthdays, sequential or consecutive digits. If someone has access to this information about you they will try it. Avoid common phrases like password or qwerty, Another important thing is to not reuse the password across many websites.
Education
Properly educating yourself as a consumer is very important in 2021. Most people just want to download an app and GO, or enter the url and GO. Take a moment to research on what you as a consumer is entitled to legally in terms of protection, and what the services you use are allowed to monitor.
Terms & Conditions can be implied to agreement by usage. Make sure that if you never clicked “I Agree”, search for a terms and conditions page and possibly a privacy statement. If you end up being a victim, this can be used in court to prove negligence against a service/ corporation.
Look into the educational section of our website for helpful resources regarding solutions to mitigating mobile data leaks.
