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Privacy & Security Tips when Using Mac

Macs are well-acknowledged for their privacy and security features. However, we live in a world where there are uncountable ways of exchanging data, so you can’t just rely on the default settings to protect your data. 

When you set up your Mac, you need to adjust your settings to offer more privacy. You also need to take extra steps to ensure your data isn’t compromised, and we’ll share a few of them.

Check the Devices using Your Apple ID

Apple has managed to put us in a world where we need to buy other Apple devices to enjoy the interconnectivity the company provides. However, this means we also use our Apple ID on other devices, such as iPhones, Apple Watches, and old Macs.

Whenever you purchase a new device, you need to ensure you remove the old one from your Apple ID list. For example, if you have a new iPhone or lose your old one, remove it from the list.

It’s easy to learn how to disconnect iPhone from Mac to increase your privacy and security. The simplest way is to go to Apple Menu and select Settings. Click Apple ID, and you’ll see the connected devices. You can then remove the iPhone or other device from your account.

Check your macOS Settings

One of the places you need to start when enhancing privacy is in the macOS settings. Here, you can tweak a few things for maximum privacy and ensure the basic ones are well-set.

  • Enable FileVault: Apple’s FileVault has been around for a long time, but it’s one of the best privacy features you should enable to protect your data. The feature encrypts the content of your hard drive every time you shut down your Mac. This ensures that even if it’s lost, nobody can access your content. Only when you log in is the drive decrypted.
  • Enable the Firewall: The macOS firewall protects your device from unwanted incoming traffic. It’s easy to turn on as you only need to press the Turn On Firewall button under the Firewall tab. However, some customization is needed to enable or disable connections for built-in apps or to add and remove apps.
  • Adjust Privacy Settings: Apps usually request a lot of data, but you don’t need to grant them all the permissions they request. Go to the Privacy tab and look at the apps that have access to your data. Uncheck any that you don’t want to share data with.

These will help ensure you reduce the exposure of your sensitive data.

Use VPN Software

Your ISP always collects data on what you access when connected to the internet. They can then share this information with the government and other authorized agencies. And at the same time, the websites and online resources you access use your IP address to track and identify you. Unfortunately, that’s just the world we live in.

However, you can increase your privacy by using a VPN. These are online tools that encrypt a user’s internet traffic, ensuring that your ISP and any other snooping eyes can’t tell what you do online. All they can see is that you are connected to a VPN.

Additionally, a VPN helps hide your IP address. When you connect to a server, the server then connects you to the internet. From there, all resources you access can only see the VPN server’s IP address, not yours.

Use Safari’s Privacy Features

A VPN can help when you don’t want to reveal your online activities. However, you also need to ensure minimal information is collected about you, and Safari greatly helps with this. First, it has what Apple calls Intelligent Tracking Prevention. This feature helps limit the amount of data collected by websites. It’s active by default, but confirm it hasn’t been disabled.

You can then check the browser Privacy Report to which parties were blocked from tracking you. Additionally, you can use the other “regular” features, such as stealth mode, blocking or allowing pop-ups, and clearing cookies.

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