Cloud Hosting

Kim Komando| Special to USA TODAY

Online privacy is an oxymoron. For example, theres an advertiser ID on your phone thats supposed to keep your location anonymous. Are you surprised it doesnt? Me neither. Tap or click here for steps to see and remove your advertiser ID.

Its not always advertisers and Big Tech spying. A stranger or someone you know might be poking around your accounts. Tap or click for a quick check you must do to keep your Facebook, Google, and Netflix accounts secure.

Privacy isnt a given. Here are five ways to take as much as you can back:

You collect cookies when you browse the web on your phone, computer, or tablet. These bits of data store information about the websites you visit. Cookies store your logins, personalization settings, advertising information and other details.

The upside is that cookies save images and files and stop you from having to log in every time you visit a site. But these cookies contain a lot of your details. Fortunately, you can delete cookies manually in a few steps.

Tap or click here to delete cookies from your phone. Hit this link for steps to clear cookies from your computers browser.

Better yet, use Incognito Mode. When you surf the web Incognito, your browser doesnt save your history, cookies, site data, or information you enter in forms. It does keep any downloaded files or bookmarks created during the session.

Exclusive limited-time offer: As a special thank you to my readers, I'm giving you a free Windows or Mac guide full of tips, tricks, and great downloads. Claim your free Windows or Mac guide now at my website at Komando.com/FreeGuides.

Be warned: Your internet service provider can still see your activity, as can a school or employer providing your internet access or computer.

To go incognito on Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + N (or Command + Shift + N on a Mac). Tap or click for three times you should always browse Incognito.

For even more privacy, fire up a VPN. A virtual private network is a layer of protection between your devices and the internet. It hides your IP address and your location. It also encrypts your data after it leaves your device and travels to whatever website youre visiting.

Dont even think about using a free VPN. At best, it will lack the necessary privacy features and slow you down. At worst, it's hiding malware or tracking your information. My pick is ExpressVPN, the VPN I used before it became a sponsor of my national radio show.

Just think about everything sitting in your inbox. In the wrong hands, those digital messages can do much damage.

Encryption is a method to protect your email from hackers, criminalsand prying eyes. It's a process where your email messages are scrambled, so if hackers manage to intercept them, all they'll see is gibberish.

Big-name email services like Gmail and Yahoo don't provide end-to-end encryption. Encryption is tough to implement, and it generally requires all correspondents to participate. The process isn't end-to-end if your email uses encryptionbut mine doesn't. At some point, your message will be vulnerable.

If encrypting your emails is essential, you'll need to switch to a secure service like StartMail, ProtonMail, Mailfence, Tutanota, or Hushmail.

Use Gmail? You can send a Confidential email. Email sent in Confidential mode can't be forwarded, and you can choose whether to require a recipient to use a passcode to read it. Tap or click here and scroll to No. 3 for steps to try it yourself.

Your phone knows precisely where youve been over the past few days, weeks, even months. If it hasbeen a while since you looked at your phones location settings, do it now.

Check this hidden location setting on your iPhone:

Click Settings, then Privacy.

Select Location Services, then scroll down to System Services.

Choose Significant Locations to see the record of where youve been and toggle it off.

Heres how to adjust location settings on an Android:

Open Settings, then scroll down and tap Location.

To stop all tracking, you can toggle Use location off.

If you dont want to remove all permissions, tap App location permissions.

For each app, tap it to choose your preferred setting: Allow all the time, Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don't allow. You can also decide whether an app sees your precise location or an approximate location.

Sorry to break it to you. Your streaming services are tracking your activity, too. It makes sense. Netflix, Hulu and all the rest want to know what shows you like so they can recommend content youll enjoy and dont mind paying for.

The monitoring isn't for your benefit, though. Streaming services collect your viewing history and the ads you watch or skip. Thenthey share this data with advertisers.

Tap or click here for a step-by-step guide on deleting your history on Netflix, Hulu and more.

If you have a smart TV, you have essential settings to review there, too. Tap or click to stop your Samsung, LG, Amazon Fire TV, or Roku TV from spying.

Google always seems to know just what you want, and its not in your head. Google tracks every search, click, messageand request. Now and then, clear your search history and activity. Here's how:

Go to myaccount.google.com and log in. Alternatively, go to google.com and click the circle icon in the upper right-hand corner with your image or initials inside. Then click Manage your Google Account.

Click Data & Privacy in the left-hand menu.

You will see checkmarks next to Web & App Activity, Location Historyand YouTube History. Click each one to adjust your settings. Toggle them off to stop further tracking if you choose.

On these pages, you can also set up Auto-delete for future activity. I highly suggest you enable this. You can choose three months, 18 months, or 36 months.

Dont stop there. Tap or click for more Google privacy settings you can change now.

Sound like a tech pro, even if youre not! Award-winning popular host Kim Komando is your secret weapon. Listen on 425+ radio stations or get the podcast. And join over 400,000 people who get her free 5-minute daily email newsletter.

Learn about all the latest technology on theKim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website atKomando.com.

Link:
Online privacy protection: How to stop your phone, TV from tracking ... - USA TODAY