Cell Phones Privacy, Security & Safety

Sexting is a common issue related to use of cell phones. Geotagging and geolocating can also be a privacy issue.

Apps, Cell Phone Security, Cell Phones, Cyber Security, Images, Internet Privacy, Social Media

Why you should avoid FaceApp, the viral aging app

There is a lot of buzz and panic regarding privacy with the photo morphing FaceApp. In an instant the app can change gender, eye color, skin tone, expression, age or hairstyle to name a few of its features. There are both fun and useful applications…

Apps, Cell Phones, Cyber Privacy, Internet Privacy, Protecting Children, Tracking

What’s the fuss about Pokémon Go?

Thursday night I laughed as I watched my grown son crawl on the floor and roam through my house with his eyes glued to his iPhone. He was in search of Pokémon but apparently they weren’t hanging out at our house so he headed to Pink Berry…

Cell Phone Security, Cell Phones, Cyber Privacy, Cyber Scams, Cyber Security, Identity Theft, Internet Safety, Passwords, Phishing

Dangers of Seniors and Technology

Looking over my dad’s new smartphone photos, my heart skipped a beat. I was staring at vibrant photographs of every credit card in his wallet – and there were many. That’s not where it ended. There were additional photos such as the…

Apps, Cell Phone Security, Cell Phones, Social Media

Beware of Snapcash and Venmo – a teen’s perspective

Snapchat is a popular app that allows users to send and receive photos, messages and videos that disappear right after they are opened. Now, a new feature has been added that can make your own cash disappear right out of your bank account.…

Apps, Cell Phone Security, Cell Phones, Internet Privacy

“Waze” free navigation app comes at high cost

On a rainy day with multiple accidents and horrible traffic, my friend activated Waze on her iPhone and we navigated flawlessly to the end of our 29 mile journey without traffic and in great time. I was very impressed with Waze, a free, community-based…

Apps, Cell Phones, Cyber Privacy, Tracking

What’s the privacy tradeoff for playing Words With Friends?

An ongoing game or two of Words with Friends, an app on my Android phone, has been a simple and guilty pleasure that I've enjoyed regularly. After an annoying upgrade option kept popping up on my screen, I read the privacy policy to learn exactly…

Cell Phones, Cyber Privacy, Legal/Ethics

The Etiquette of Wearable Technology

After Sarah Slocum claimed she was attacked because she wore Google Glass (wearable computer in the form of an optical head-mounted display that looks like glasses) in a bar, volumes of people weighed in with their differing opinions. Many…

Apps, Cell Phones, Cyber Privacy, Email, Internet Privacy, Passwords, Phishing, Private browsing, Social Media, Tracking

Taking Control of Privacy

There is no doubt there are aspects of privacy that are out of our control, but as discussed in the last post called Privacy we Cannot Control, there are solid options for reducing the impact of privacy invasion. Today's post reminds…

Cell Phones, Cyber Relationships, Protecting Children, Social Media

Talking to Your Texting Teen

"She texts all night long!" "She won't put that stupid phone down for one second!" "She cares more about that phone than her own family!" "I can't talk to her anymore -- I can only TEXT HER!" Have you or someone you know uttered these…

Cell Phones, Cyber Scams, Vishing

Seniors Beware! What is Vishing? (And 3 Ways to Avoid It)

Switching from Windows XP to Windows 8 meant something as simple as shutting down his computer became a challenge for my seventy-something year old dad. When he coincidentally got a call from "Technical Support" as he was struggling with…

Apps, Cell Phones, Cyber Bullying, Internet Privacy, Internet Safety, Predators, Protecting Children, Reputation, Sexting, Snapchat, Social Media, Twitter

What Social Media Apps and Sites are Popular with Kids these days?

Social media has many positive attributes but there’s no denying potential dangers such as reputation damage and exposure to predators, identity thieves and cyber bullies. New social media sites crop up regularly and it’s challenging keeping…

Cell Phones, Cyber Privacy, Internet Privacy, Private browsing, Tracking

Private Browsing – How to Surf Incognito

Incognito web browsing is private Internet surfing and it differs from non-private surfing because history of an incognito session does not get saved to the hard drive. When surfing incognito, cache or cookies are not left behind to provide…