It's Safer Internet Day, so we gathered out best tips for keeping your computer and Internet life safe, secure, and totally private all in one place. Nothing is worse than having your digital world hacked into, your personal information stolen, or becoming a victim of fraud. Take charge of your online well-being with these tips and how-tos.
Your Google account is integrated across all of the web giant's many online properties. If you'd rather not have your web search history combined with information gathered from other products like Google+, YouTube, and so on, then you'll want to delete your web history posthaste. Follow our guide for clearing your Google search history.
Five bucks is all it takes for a stranger online to find out your phone number, your family members, and your complete location history online. What did you do to authorize this information? Nothing. All of it is public record, and sites like Spokeo and PeopleSmart are making this personal information available on the web for a small fee.
Use our how-to on opting out of these people directories.
Don't sit back and let your web presence get inundated with suspicious emails and scams. Report hackings, Internet fraud, and dubious emails to the US government.
If you suspect you've become a victim of hacking or have had a computer virus installed on your machine, then you can report the incident to your Internet service provider (like Comcast or AT&T) or directly to the FBI.
If you've been shopping online and think that you've been scammed, have had your identity stolen, or notice fraudulent activity, then you can report the offender to the FTC for investigation. Then check out the FTC's resource for what to do next and how to protect yourself.
If you suspect you've received spam or phishing emails (that are trying to scam you for private information like log-ins and passwords), then forward them directly to the FTC's database for spam with the full header information, or send to the Anti-Phishing Working Group.
But there are two very easy steps you can take in order to ensure that no one tracks your browsing history ever when you're using an Apple product.
Have an online shopping addiction? Be sure you follow these general rules so you don't become the victim of an online credit card scam!
Between tablets, smartphones, and the ever-present home computer, kids are pretty tech-savvy these days. Still, keep any online dangers at bay with some practical safety measures.
Outwit potential hackers by staying password smart.
When joining the latest social network du jour, follow these best practices.