So many core aspects of our lives have shifted to the cloud, mostly to our great benefit: Gmail and Outlook.com maintain our email archives. Dropbox and SkyDrive make your files available anywhere, anytime. Windows 8.1 searches include Bing results by default. Google Now dishes out the information you need before you even know you need it.
But every gain in convenience comes with a loss of control, and that loss of control all too often comes bundled with privacy or security woes.
You can take some simple precautions to minimize the amount of personal information that you have online. But before we get started, remember that this data checkup is about what you’re comfortable with. You could follow all the tips in this post, tighten up on just a few of the practices mentioned below, or go even farther down the rabbit hole than the suggestions offered here. Digital privacy is not a zero-sum or a one-size-fits-all proposition. If nothing else, this article can help you make better decisions about the information you share with the services you love.
Giving Google the cold shoulder
Firefox’s private browsing mode kills cookies dead. |
You don’t want to be among the first Graph Search results for “Males in New York that like Drugs and Marijuana” or anything similar. Mind those Likes, and those privacy preferences. |
Cloud storage
Western Digital’s My Cloud connected storage drive lets you build your own private cloud. |
All the rest
The tip of the iceberg
Ebenezer Obasi
Latest posts by Ebenezer Obasi (see all)
- Install Windows 10/8/7 From USB Flash Drive with UEFI Support - January 31, 2019
- Windows 10’s Top 30 Tricks, Tips, and Tweaks in Pictures - January 26, 2019
- How to Use Google Docs Offline - December 22, 2018