Do you ever hit the "Like" button on Facebook? If so, countless entities could pinpoint your location if your settings are not fixed to protect your privacy. Scary? There's more. The "instant personalization" option of Facebook takes basically everything in your profile, such as your home town, schools, likes, etc., and shares it automatically whenever you visit sites participating in Facebook's "personalization" program. Yikes.
Here's how to remove the settings that make that possible. In Facebook go to: Account, Privacy Settings, Applications and Website, Instant Personalization Pilot Program and uncheck the box for "Allow select partners to instantly personalize their features with my public information when I first arrive on their websites."
Smart phones, mobile computers and mini storage devices make it easier to do business, but they're also easy targets for security and privacy trouble. And, they are also simply so easy to lose. Here are a few tips to make your smart phone even smarter.
= Document your device's Electronic Serial Number (ESN) and/or your International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. You can usually find out your IMEI number by pressing * on your mobile phone's keypad, it should display a 15 digit number; that is your IMEI number.
= Mark your phone with a security pen or a non-removable tracking label so that it can be identified if recovered.
= If your personal cell phone is lost or stolen, report it to your local police station and/or your network operator immediately.
= Consider purchasing insurance specifically to mitigate the risk associated with a lost or stolen phone or mobile computing device.
= Register your phone, not only to help prevent annoying text messages (such as SMS spam), but also so that the physical device can be returned to you if it is lost or stolen.
= Regularly make backups of the data on your smart phone so, if you lose it or it is stolen, you won't also lose all that valuable information.
Thanks for reading, have a wonderful May, and I'll talk with you again soon...
Rebecca
