You lock your front door when you leave home. You keep your car keys in your pocket. You don’t give your debit card PIN to strangers. Doing these things doesn’t make you paranoid. These are simple, everyday habits that protect your physical security. In the digital world, your information needs just as much protection, and…
Now that you know what online privacy is and why it matters, it’s time to talk about what you can actually do to protect it. While it’s impossible to be 100% anonymous online, there are plenty of steps you can take to reduce how much of your personal information is collected, shared, or exposed. The…
Every time you visit a website, open an app, or even scroll through social media, you’re sharing information. Some of that sharing is obvious – like when you post a photo or fill out a form. But much of it happens behind the scenes. Your clicks, searches, location, your computer type, your operating system, browser,…
You download a new app to help you focus during study sessions. As soon as you open it, you get a pop-up: “Allow access to your microphone?” You pause. The app plays white noise. Maybe it needs the mic to adjust based on background sounds? Or maybe it just wants access…because it can. When I…
Picture this: you’re looking for a free version of a textbook, a missing episode of your favorite show, or a productivity tool you don’t want to pay for. You find a site that promises exactly what you want, just click “Download.” But the next thing you know, your browser is acting weird, your computer slows…
You’re in the middle of writing a paper or watching a show when your phone or computer pops up with a message: “Update available. Restart now?” Most of us hit “Remind me later” without thinking twice. It feels like just another interruption, and sometimes those updates take forever. (I’ve had them take over an hour.)…
While most people believe they won’t fall for an online scam, however many people do. An estimated $16.6 Billion was lost to online scams in 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/online-scams-2024-statistics-fbi/ Let’s look at some of the most common scams you might run into. Phishing and Social Engineering You’ve probably heard the term phishing before. Maybe you even think…
Being Safe Online is very important as more and more of our lives are online. From banking, to medical information, from bill paying, to checking your grades, it is all done on-line. Your very first line of defense is having a good password. Think of your password like the key to your house. If it’s…
