Privacy used to be the default. You had to go out of your way to make your personal information public. Now the opposite is true. Your data is collected, shared, sold, and exposed on a daily basis, often without your knowledge or consent.
This erosion has been so gradual that most people have normalized it. But that doesn’t make it any less risky or potentially harmful. It’s time to take back your privacy by implementing a few meaningful changes to how you conduct yourself.
Here are a few suggestions.
Audit Your Digital Footprint
Before you start locking things down, it helps to understand how exposed you currently are. Search your own name and see what comes up. Check what information is publicly visible on your social media profiles. You’ll also want to look at the list of apps on your phone and ask yourself when you last used each one and what data it has access to.
Each app, online account, phone number, etc. represents an exposure point. And while it’s not a fun audit, it’s worth it. It takes a few hours to do thoroughly. However, once complete, it gives you a clear picture of where your data is sitting and which exposure points are worth closing first.
Lock Down Your Phone
Your phone is probably the single largest source of personal data leakage in your life. It knows where you are at all times. It also contains your email, messages, photos, financial accounts, and browsing history. And the apps installed on it are collecting data continuously, much of which gets shared with third-party advertising networks and data brokers.
- Start with app permissions. Go through every app on your phone and review what access each one has. (A weather app doesn’t need access to your contacts. And a flashlight app doesn’t need your location.) Revoke every permission that isn’t essential to the app’s core function.
- Be careful with location tracking. Set location access to “while using the app” rather than “always” for any app that actually needs your location. Turn it off entirely for apps that don’t. Disable the location history features that both iOS and Android maintain by default.
- Review background settings. Look at which apps are allowed to run in the background and collect data when you’re not actively using them. Restrict background activity to only the apps that need it, like messaging apps or navigation. Everything else should only be active when you open it.
Protect Your Phone Number
Your phone number is the primary piece of information bad actors will use for spam calls, phishing attempts, etc. That’s why you should be very selective about where you share your phone number. Most forms, signups, and loyalty programs that ask for it don’t require it, so there’s no need to voluntarily give it out.
You should also know that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) provides legal protection against unwanted calls and texts to your phone. Companies that contact you using automated dialing systems or prerecorded messages without your prior express consent are violating federal law. If you’re receiving regular unwanted calls or texts from companies you never gave permission to contact you, a consumer rights lawyer can evaluate whether you have a claim.
Additionally, be sure to register your number with the National Do Not Call Registry and enable your phone’s built-in spam filtering. These layers won’t stop every unwanted spam call, but they do reduce the volume.
Use Strong Password Hygiene
Reusing passwords is one of the most common and most vulnerable security weaknesses you have. If you use the same password across multiple accounts, a single breach at one service gives attackers the credentials to access every other account sharing that password. This happens all the time.
A password manager can solve this problem. Tools like Lastpass or Dashlane generate and store unique, complex passwords for every account. You remember one master password, then the manager handles the rest.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a second verification step beyond your password. Even if someone obtains your password, they can’t access the account without the second factor. Enable 2FA on every account that offers it, especially email, banking, and social media.
Finally, use an authenticator app rather than SMS-based 2FA where possible. SIM swapping attacks, where someone convinces your carrier to transfer your phone number to their device, can bypass SMS verification. An authenticator app on your physical device is much harder to compromise.
Adding it All Up
Privacy in the digital age requires some active effort – that much is true. However, it’s not as impossible as it might seem. You just have to know where to look and be willing to do things a little differently than most. At the end of the day, the effort is worth it. Every layer of protection you add reduces your exposure and makes you a harder target. In turn, you can enjoy a simpler life with less risk.
