It’s Christmas Eve. People are gushing to buy new stuff for their families and friends to shower their love. The Christmas tree is decorated; stockings are filled with chocolates and gifts for loved ones. Kids can’t wait to unwrap their presents.
As technology has gradually crept in our life and spread its claws, now everything is about technology. So, there is no surprise that the gifts that we give and receive are leaned on technology.
As we always have said, Technology is neither good nor bad; it is tools, using these tools in a direction which could turn it into bliss or turn it into a curse is in our hands.
If you receive or give an internet connected device this Christmas or holiday season, then make sure you know all about it and make the person whom you are gifting aware of the same, especially the potential threats.
The latest incidents of Amazon Echo or other smart devices stealing or recording unwanted data have been scary. Knowing what you have signed up to, when you purchase or get a smart device, is very important. Due to technical glitches, now Amazon’s smart speakers have a lot of unnecessary information on its users, which the users would never want to blurt out.
It is the holiday season, the most awaited time of the year, where families and friends are wrapping presents for each other. So, if you receive internet-connected device this holiday which has the potential to violate your privacy, then you should know all about it before using it.
In this post, we have listed some of the tips to secure your digital privacy and make this holiday time merrier this year.
Don’t Provide Permission Of Unnecessary Things:
Irrespective of the device bought or received when you set it up for the first time, it will ask for certain permissions, make sure you know what you are allowing your device. Let’s say you are setting up Amazon’s smart speaker, Echo, for the initial set up, it will ask for your contacts list or address book to activate Alexa voice calling feature.
If you don’t want to use Echo to make phone calls, then don’t allow it to access your contacts list. As allowing the access means handing your friends’ details. However, You can always allow the device for the same whenever you need it.
Always read all the prompts and permissions that you give to your devices. If you find any of them unnecessary, then you are free to decline or skip. You can also make changes to settings that you find oversharing. Therefore, this will put a check on a device and only the information that you want to be accessed will be secured to a certain extent.
Be Thorough With the Settings
The default settings of a device are set in a manner that a device performs at its best. So, whenever you first set up a device, you should go through the settings. Check which of the features are significant to you and what seems to be unnecessary. Customize the settings so that you get the maximum control over the device and its actions. This will help you keep in check how data is used and you could enhance the user experience as well.
Some Devices Are Hopeless
You can customize a device to get the most of it, but what if that tech device is a teddy bear with a camera in its nose or eyes. It could certainly be appealing for a baby but can you be sure that the toy has not been hacked and designed to steal your private information. To avoid this, you can only remove the batteries and use it as a soft toy.
The gifts could make you feel loved, but given the technological trend and security attacks that the world faced in 2018, it is better to be safe than sorry. Next time, you receive a technology-related present, then don’t turn it, plug it in and start using it. First, take all the precautionary measures as checking the permission provided, settings enabled.
Isn’t it intimidating? Receiving gifts used to be fun, but now the progressive world and malicious hackers have snatched the comfort and joy of the holiday season.
What do you think? Please mention your thoughts in the comments section below.