Lock in: 9 ways to make your devices safer

Locks of love. Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash.

1. Set a password or passcode to secure the data on your device if it were ever seized, lost or stolen.

2. Turn on full-disk encryption (FDE) to encrypt the device’s data so if it’s copied it can’t be read. 

   • Windows | iOS  

   • On mobile devices, FDE is encrypted by default. Set the passcode to ensure the device is safe.

3. Automate regular back ups in case the device gets lost, stolen, damaged by a liquid spill, or infiltrated with ransomware by a phishing attempt. We recommend a combination of physical drives and cloud backups for the most protection.

   Google Drive | iCloud | SpiderOakONE | Encrypted external drive

4. Allow updates on your computer and mobile devices to patch holes in the software through which hackers can access your information.

   Windows | iOS | Android

5. Set up recovery in case your device is lost or stolen.  

   Windows | iOS | Android

6. Enable remote wipe to remove all of your data from the lost device if it cannot be recovered.

   Windows | iOS | Android | Lost Android if you didn’t plan ahead.

7. Download a safer browser. Trade in the baked-in browser for one that doesn’t tell on you.

   DuckDuckGo | Brave | Firefox Focus (mobile)

8. Don’t let apps linger. If you don’t use it or don’t need it, delete it. As phone size defaults swell to 128GB or 256GB, it's tempting to fill that space with apps you use once to park, listen to a podcast, or check out real estate and then leave “just in case.” Ask yourself: am I ok with this app or company gathering data on where I drive to, where I live, what I like, what I shop for? If the answer is yes, cool. If anything but yes, delete.

9. Delete the Facebook app. The Meta family of apps - Facebook Messenger, Instagram - suck up your data even without permission to build 5000-point user profiles on each of us, even if we aren’t Facebook users. Don’t give all that up for free to tech billionaires.