Something just for you

Technology has advanced at a tremendous speed today. From smartphones to central heating everywhere technology has established its mark.

Even though technology gave us so much it has also increased criminal activity. After one owner of a baby monitor was hacked the internet started questioning the modern security system and are we all being spied on.

Here I am going to discuss if we are actually being spied on and how to stay safe from being hacked.

Smartphones- Just like your laptops our phones are unlikely to be listening but experts say that it is possible. The problem is not on our phones but in our apps. The apps you use may get permission to access your private information. It is all about managing risk and knowing how much of a target you are. A CEO of big business is a bigger target than you who is not a high profile person. Normally there are some pre-installed apps in a smartphone and they usually bypass the security system and can access our information so it is best to uninstall every app that is not useful to you.

Laptops- Laptops can get infected with malware and other viruses. Experts say the problem with laptops is that it has a built-in camera and a microphone. This created a massive privacy risk if someone can get into your laptop. Even the FBI director recommended everyone to cover the microphone and camera with tape if you are not using it. Even Mark Zuckerberg covers up his laptop camera. Laptops are a very complex device and if through software a malware enters your laptop then hackers can access every data that is in your laptop. To prevent this we recommend updating the latest security patches and using VPN for internet protection.

Baby monitors- Today baby monitors are a major concern of children’s privacy breaching. Their security is under question after hackers talked to kids through the device. The national cybersecurity Centre advises people to tweak the settings and update the easy to guess passwords. It is not always wise to trust a company’s security. We advise if you want to buy a baby monitor then get one with a remote shutdown function.

Smart speakers- Every house nowadays has a smart speaker. 2 minutes does not go by and someone says, Alexa. Well, these smart speakers have made our life super easy but the point is do these speakers hear our conversations 24/7? Experts say that smart assistants are privacy nightmares these devices constantly listen to your conversation and wait for when you say, Alexa. Another expert says if you are buying a smart speaker than you are willingly putting a bug that spies on you in your home. People who have these smart speakers have already given tremendous amounts of data about themselves.

Social media- Facebook, Twitter, and What Sapp, aren’t listening to us, but know a lot about us. It’s not been officially proven but I don’t believe social media apps are listening, purely because if they were it’d be a huge scandal. It may not be listening to you but every time you post it’s reading the keywords you’re writing about, the hashtags. If you post a photo of a baby a lot, they’re going to make the assumption you’re a new parent. A problem can happen over time as apps seek more access to your device or data. This is known as ‘permission creep. It’s good practice to check the permissions your apps have and disable any that feel unnecessary or invasive. As with phones, ­uninstall any apps you don’t use.

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