My Approach to Digital Security

Up until this point, my approaches to digital security have been equal parts throw my hands up, look the other way, and do what’s popular. Although I do cringe when news of data breaches hit the air. And who wouldn’t be a little taken back by Joe’s ability to locate and profile his victims in the Netflix original, “You?”

Hopefully, my lack of attention to this matter doesn’t indicate ignorance. I mean I may or may not have been raised in a cult that considers cell phones to be the mark of the beast. If you’re shocked at what you just read, please do yourself a favor and Google, “Are cell phones the mark of the beast?” And then take your pick! It’s an actual thing. So, let’s just say that I am very aware of big data, big brother, and the amount of access our digital devices give to others; perhaps, unreasonably aware.

That said, my therapist (yup, I said it), says that we can swing to either end of the spectrum, showing excessive amounts of precaution or being reckless without care, or we can strive to stay in the middle. Oddly, “The Middle” is playing as I write this.

So, this is what “the middle’ looks like for me when it comes to digital security.

Access to my phone is protected by a fingerprint and passcode. That was a lesson we learned the hard way when my husband lost his unprotected phone at a gas station. By the time he got to another device to track it, the phone had been reset. I also use fingerprints to access any banking and finance apps on my phone rather than entering a password each time.

We also learned the importance of backing up the data on our phones from that experience. My husband uses his phone more than I do, so, naturally, he had most of our family vacation photos and memories stored on his phone. We lost all of those photos when he lost his phone.

We back up our phones now.

However, I do not use encryption, because I am not concerned about the data on my phone being “out there,” it is more so to make it harder to access and wipe our phones if they are lost.

I am guilty of quickly scrolling through terms and conditions and agreeing without seeking an understanding of how my personal information is being tracked and used. I don’t think that will change much. I don’t have a problem with big data, so long as that data is not being used to harm me in any way.

As far as I know, I am not participating in any illegal activities that would get me in trouble with the government or other authorities, nor am I a member of any secret or private work/groups. So privacy and security in that capacity is not a concern of mine.

I did take a moment to check all of my electronic devices for updates. This is the main change I will make after studying this module. My laptop and cell phone needed system and app updates. I went ahead and scheduled automatic updates and notifications for both of my devices.

The last digital security measure I have is credit tracking. Most of my credit cards offer this service for free and I also use Credit Karma. If there is a credit inquiry, a new account, or any other credit changes to my credit report, I will get an email from Credit Karma and a push notification from my credit card companies.

So, that’s where I am at with digital security for now. I will continue to digest the information I have learned throughout this course and make changes as I go.