How to Take Control of Your Data
Even though more people are becoming interested in privacy and removing ourselves from the internet, it's still difficult to find helpful resources. I have a post with books that are super helpful and podcasts I enjoy. The latest website I've been following is The Markup. One of the coolest posts on the site is called... Continue Reading →
If you're paying attention to American media, you might feel like you don't know what and who to believe. Regardless of your political leanings, it is absolutely imperative that you protect your identity in today's world of doxing and punishing people based on their political speech. As an example, political leaders are suggesting that the... Continue Reading →
If you're involved in politics, or even outspoken about your politics, it's a good idea to make sure your personal information is not available online. In 2020, there are more poor losers, and winners, than ever. This is one more reason to be proactive in taking charge of your data. Be smart about who receives... Continue Reading →
Consumer Reports has a new security tool available online for free. Their information is tailored to our individual online uses and behavior. Simply click on the devices and methods you use and the site provides helpful links for improving your safety and online security. To evaluate the site, I clicked on each option available for... Continue Reading →
The phrase for old data hanging around on servers for decades can have more harmful implications to our privacy. When data brokers scrape public information websites and publish that information, many don't ever go back and clean up the content on their websites. Often that incorrect or harmful information is purchased or scraped and shared... Continue Reading →
Raise your hand if a lot of people have your contact information. The people closest to us can either help or harm our privacy- protection efforts. Our choices sure can generate some awkward conversations. We have to explain why we don't use our real identity on social media and ask others not to reveal it,... Continue Reading →
We work so hard to keep our real names and location offline; managing each other's contact profiles has to become a big part of that. Are you protecting your Contact List like you do your passwords? I listened to two podcasts this week that made me think about this more than I usually do. ... Continue Reading →
US Army PCS Info How's your move going? We're mid-move this week with a quick TDY trip and confirming all the packing and loading next week. I'm hopeful, but well aware of everything that can go wrong. All the things. We worked super hard to prep for this PCS season. I followed the past routine... Continue Reading →
The Facebook post above illustrates how many law enforcement families feel right now. Current chaos in this country magnifies the danger they face every day to enforce the rule of law in America. It's critical that our personal information not be available to anyone who wants to make their point (whatever it is) in person... Continue Reading →
Buying a new phone soon? Before you personalize any features of the new device, head over to the Permissions menu of the phone. I'm an Android user, so that menu is located in the Settings in the Apps section. By default, your phone settings allow most installed apps that come on your phone to access... Continue Reading →
I succeeded in removing our PII from search engine results after two years of tedious work. It takes commitment to privacy to keep our names and other PII out of search results and most data mining websites. I'm obsessively careful and distrusting of everybody when it comes to my information. My husband is not exactly... Continue Reading →
I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore! Howard Beale, Network motion picture Start 2020 with a privacy goal. We can do simple things to improve and protect our privacy and security. Keeping the mindset that your data belongs to you and no one is entitled to your information is the... Continue Reading →
Home Just thinking about where our personal data is located makes my heart race. Every time we PCS, I freak out a little bit more about our data at home. I use a filing system to keep the paper and digits under control every day, but it's still a challenge when we move. Part of... Continue Reading →
When you need ID, less is better. Yeah, a photo. Nah, your address. A US passport card is ideal to use whenever photo identification is required. The card is better than a driver's license, since the licenses include a physical address that you don't want to show total strangers. Also, it's Real ID compliant, unlike... Continue Reading →
Most privacy enthusiasts start with some basic steps to limit our exposure to spam and personal info leaks. A new article in Wired describes how frustrating it can be to realize how we're opted IN automatically when we share email addresses and other information with vendors. Have an email address ready to use for receipts... Continue Reading →
Don't be naive about keeping your Facebook profile, posts, comments, likes, groups, etc... private by relying on your settings. You may think you have your account 'locked down' with your settings set to the most private possible. Follow the steps in this article first. I recommend you follow all those steps and recheck your... Continue Reading →
This article describes another data exposure for Facebook users this week. I'm not usually in favor of government intervention in corporate policies, but this case may call for it. If Facebook requires people to use their real names and suspends accounts that violate their identity policy, then they should be required to protect the data... Continue Reading →
Please, for the love of all things private, STOP using social media apps on your personal devices. The applications built by Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc... are designed to suck up all the information from devices they possibly can access. In their Terms of Service, they include these permissions and most people don't read or understand... Continue Reading →
This week, C-SPAN was more exciting than anything the Kardashians were doing. Following months of activism by hundreds of military spouses, they finally had their day in court, or specifically, Congress. You can read about it here. If you have time, you can even go watch it here. It was EPIC! Military spouses confronted... Continue Reading →
Mentorship among spouse groups is essential to the military's mission. Nothing is as strong as the connection among military families in sharing this lifestyle. There are some significant ways you can share what you're learning. You can help other families protect their privacy and safety online. Attend an FRG meeting and offer to share how... Continue Reading →
Now Hide Me 