Each year, springtime brings a renewed sense of life in the world, and many people use this time of year to clean up the stagnant and dusty parts of their homes. But what can often be overlooked, because the mess isn’t visible, is your digital clutter. Digital spring cleaning should be more than just purging the stuff you don’t need, but it should also be a way to cleanse your digital footprint to ensure a safer online life. So, why wouldn’t you also take this time of year to clean up your digital life, too?
Declutter your mobile devices. What this entails is going through the devices that you take with you on-the-go to reduce the amount of data on each device that may be unused. For example, what applications do you have on your mobile devices that you no longer use? It’s probably best to delete unused applications because not only do they take up usable space on your device, but they can also be collecting information about you and your online habits without your knowledge. And along with that, applications that are not regularly used are often not up to date which can put your device at risk for malware and viruses.
While you’re at it, take some time to go through your photos and videos. Are there multiples of photos? It might be best to choose one or two rather than retaining the whole set of nearly identity shots to relieve some space on your mobile devices.
After you’ve taken a look at your mobile devices, take a look at your online presence. When was the last time that you looked at your data sharing settings on your social media? Well if it was before the beginning of this year, it might be a good idea to take a look at them again now. What settings can you secure a little more so less information is collected on you and therefore, you’re less likely to be affected by a breach on their part. Having location services turned on is something that you may want to reconsider for many of the websites and applications your using.
With the increasing popularity of online shopping, especially when two-day delivery makes shopping online so convenient, it puts you at a greater risk to have your personal information stolen in a hacking event. Make sure that you delete any information associated with online accounts that you don’t regularly use in an effort to reduce your risk. We recommend never saving your payment information on an e-commerce platform because once you put it there, whoever gains access to that website will also have access to everything else they need from you to commit fraud.
The bottom line is that there’s really no better time than the present to become a LibertyID member for identity theft restoration protection. Our extended family plan covers the primary individual, their spouse/partner, both sets of parents (including those that have been deceased for up to a year), and all children under the age of 25. We’re the experts at identity theft restoration, offering a 100% guaranteed identity theft restoration service. But, you have to get covered before there’s an incident. When you sign up for LibertyID, you’re covering yourself and your family from the fallout of identity theft and the potentially hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars lost due to identity theft.