Smartphone use: watch out for your private data

Five years ago, we told you that 38% of Internet traffic was generated by a smartphone. It is clear that the situation has changed rapidly since, as Statbel told us two years later, it had become "the device par excellence for Internet access". Indeed, according to their statistics, 92% of Internet users surfed via their phone, including 99% of 16-24 year olds and 76% of 65-74 year olds. 

Given the constant increase in these uses, it is necessary to ensure that our privacy is protected. Whether it's your social networks, your finances, your work or your health data, your device hosts a gold mine of information.

Be careful with permissions

In particular, be wary of applications that require access to your location, your microphone, your camera or personal files, without any specific need for their operation. As we explained last year, a survey revealed that "87% of Android apps and 60% of iOS apps asked for permissions that were not necessary for them to work."  

Therefore, before installing an app, consider whether you need to share this information. You are advised to reject access requests at the outset  and adjust settings as needed. 

Best practices to protect your privacy

Let's go back to some important reminders:

• First, if your device falls into the wrong hands, make sure to lock it via your fingerprint and/or facial recognition;
• Don't forget about multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect your accounts;
• Regularly back up your data (cloud and memory card);
• Be wary of what you share on social media, especially about your children! Think carefully about the consequences before publishing. A photo deleted from your social networks does not mean that it no longer exists on the Internet. It may have been copied, archived, or shared elsewhere.
• In the age of artificial intelligence, hiding a face or part of your body with an emoji no longer works. Worse: they can even be an element of recognition for AI because their systems are able to reconstitute missing information according to the context, posture or patterns located around it.
• Never hesitate to install software to protect against viruses and spyware;
• For your business data, create an encrypted folder to keep it safe;
• Don't forget to regularly update  your applications to help you stay protected. And if you download new ones, do so from official stores;
• Also remember to stop apps after they are in use as they may continue to share data in the background;
• Also beware of public Wi-Fi networks that hackers exploit to intercept data. Instead, use mobile data.