In today’s digital age, smartphone is in everyone’s pocket. It is always with us like a shadow. But, do you know that the phone in your pocket is a spy that is keeping an eye on your every move and every location.
If you have an iPhone and are under the impression that it cannot spy on you, then be careful. Be it Android or iOS, your life can be peeped from every smartphone. Many times you might have felt that you talked about something and after a few minutes its advertisement appeared on your social media. This is not a magical coincidence, but a deep monitoring of data through which tech companies are preparing a profile of your personal life.
If you are serious about your digital identity and privacy, then be careful and change some settings of your phone immediately. It is not that there is no way in your hands to stop someone else from knowing your data or your likes and dislikes. There are such features in your smart phone, with the help of which you can keep yourself ‘invisible’ in the digital world. But, most of the users do not use these safety features.
Stop location and movement tracking
Be it your iPhone or Android, it keeps a record of your every whereabouts. From gym, office to your secret places. iOS users go to Settings → Privacy → Location Services → System Services → Significant Locations. Delete the history from here and close it. Your location will stop being tracked.
The name of your phone (eg: ‘Vimal iPhone’) is known to every public scanner within 50 feet. Change it to something generic like “System-Error-404” or “Pixel-Null” so that a stranger can’t get your real identity.
Control on sensors and microphones
Often apps use your microphone 24/7. Ads appearing intermittently may be the result of ‘ultrasonic cross-device ping’, where your phone makes sounds that humans can’t hear, but your smart TV and laptop can hear. iOS users go to your privacy dashboard. If any game or calculator app needs microphone access, block it immediately. For other apps, select “Only while using the app.”
Do not allow spying through photos
When you post a photo on social media, the exact address of your house (location data) also goes with that photo. Before sharing a photo, go to Settings and disable ‘Location Metadata’.
Reset your tracking and advertising ID
Your ‘Advertising ID’ is a digital fingerprint that links your behavior across different apps. Go to Privacy Settings and click on ‘Reset Advertising Identifier’. Do this at least once a month.
app tracking
Apple gives you the option to “Request Apps Not to Track.” Make sure this option is always ‘Off’ in Settings → Privacy → Tracking.
Internet browsing and background data
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) keeps track of which websites you are visiting and sometimes even sells this data. Safari and Chrome are products of data collecting companies. Use Brave or DuckDuckGo browsers instead, which block trackers by default.
background refresh
Even when you sleep, apps keep sending information about your battery level and location. Go to Settings → General and turn off Background App Refresh completely. This will save your privacy as well as battery.
keyboard and mail spying
Your phone also learns your spoken language and your passwords to make typing faster, but this ‘learning file’ can be a treasure trove for a hacker. Reset the Keyboard Dictionary from time to time by going to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset. Marketers hide ‘tracking pixels’ in emails that let them know when and where you opened the mail. Go to mail settings and turn on ‘Protect Mail Activity’, this hides your IP address.
Network and SIM card safety
Hackers often steal your data by creating fake Wi-Fi networks like ‘Starbucks-Guest’. Disable ‘Auto-Join Hotspot’ in Wi-Fi settings so that your phone doesn’t inadvertently connect to an unsecured network. If the phone is stolen, the thief can get the OTP by inserting your SIM in another phone. Go to Settings → Cellular → SIM PIN and set a 4-digit code. Due to this, code will be required to activate the SIM in another phone.
Lockdown Mode and Cleanup
If you think you are the target of a specific threat, turn on iPhone’s ‘Lockdown Mode’. It blocks most web technologies and wired connections to the phone, turning your phone into an impenetrable fortress. Also, delete 5 apps every month that you don’t use. Less apps means less spying and less danger.