Throughout the year, but especially around the holidays, your cyber footprint increases through online shopping, social media usage and other digital activities related to the season.
Taking care of digital maintenance should be an ongoing process throughout the year. Cleaning your assets like social media accounts and photos should be on your to-do list this holiday season. As a result, you will potentially avoid losing personal information and becoming a victim of identity theft.
Here are some suggestions to keep your information safe.
- Clean out your inbox by deleting emails with sensitive information (also empty the deleted folder) and unsubscribe from unwanted mailing lists. Create folders to organize the emails you want to keep.
- Delete unused applications and keep others current, including the operating system on your mobile devices.
- Take a few minutes to check your internet browser security settings and clear out cookies and autofill data.
- Are you getting a new computer or phone for the family? Make sure your data is adequately backed up and dispose of your old technology securely.
- Review the privacy and security settings on websites and social media accounts to confirm the amount of information you feel comfortable sharing.
- Review and change passwords for your accounts to ensure they’re strong. Choose a unique password for each account.
- Review and update the email or phone number required for the 2-step verification process of some applications.
Cleaning can be very satisfying for some. But if it’s not your idea of a good time, use these suggestions to speed up the process and start the new year right and light!
