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fined for its data privacy usage.)
Given China’s history of
data interference and its faulty
human rights record, Americans
should be concerned about data
weaponization.
Adira Levine, cybersecu-
rity fellow at the public policy
think tank New America, notes
that you should also consider
the permissions you are grant-
ing when you hit “agree” or when
prompted to change your device
settings. Such permissions cre-
ate pathways for other entities,
including companies and adver-
tisers, to access the data. The
more people who have access to
your phone and your data, the
less secure you are.
It’s difficult to directly
WHAT DATA IS
COLLECTED?
Allow as little data as
possible to be collected.
The safest amount is none.HOW IS IT USED?
Many apps sell data to third-
party companies, who use
it for advertising purposes.
The best scenario is one
where the data is used only
by the app company.HOW LONG IS IT
KEPT?
Data more than a year old
serves little purpose to
outside parties since the
most up-to-date info is
the most valuable. Seek
shorter timelines.DOES THE APP NEED
YOUR LOCATION DATA?
A number of apps auto-
matically collect this, but
very few actually need it.
You can generally turn this
off in your OS settings.DOES THE APP NEED
ACCESS TO YOUR
CONTACTS, CAMERA,
OR MICROPHONE?
Most of these features
aren’t necessary, but
many apps still ask for
access. Granting these
permissions makes the
data on your device—
like personal photos—
vulnerable.WHERE IS THE
DATA STORED?
Data laws vary by country;
reconsider sharing data
held in nations that may
have incentive to use it
for advancing political
agendas (like Russia,
China, and North Korea).attribute cyberattacks or cyber-
spying operations to specific
foreign nations. It’s even more
difficult to make correlations
between apps and nation-state
attacks. However, the growing
number of cyberattacks and the
increasing reports of apps with
potential for misuse should raise
a red f lag.
Ask yourself if it’s really
worth giving away your personal
data to a company in China just
to pass the time with a mind-
less app. And think about apps
before you download them. The
only way we’ll be resilient to
cyberattacks is for every indi-
vidual to be more critical of their
own phone, their own apps, and
their own safety.PROTECT YOUR DATA FROM UNSECURED
WI-FI & BLUETOOTH CONNECTIVITY
Ask All This to
Keep Data SafeYo u ’ ve p roba b l y
heard this before,
but using unsecured
wi-fi makes your data
vulnerable. It may be
tempting to log on to
free public wi-fi, but
try to refrain from
using it. If you find
yourself in a position
where you abso-
lutely need it, follow
these tips for secure
browsing:1 / USE UNSECURED
WI-FI SPARINGLY
and refrain from
accessing personal
information such asbank and credit-
card accounts.2 / DON’T DO ANY
ONLINE SHOP-
PING or purchasing
where you’ll need to
enter your credit card
credentials or other
sensitive information.3 / TURN OFF AUTO-
MATIC CONNECTIVI-
TY so you’re in control
of when and where
you log on.4 / REMEMBER TO
TURN YOUR BLUE-
TOOTH OFF wheneveryou’re not using it.
If you usually leave
yours on, the data on
your device is open
to anyone with their
own Bluetooth-
enabled device. All
they have to do is
connect and they can
access your info.5 / CONSIDER
INVESTING IN A
VIRTUAL PRIVATE
NETWORK such as
ExpressVPN ($99.95/
year), which offers
24/7 support and
coverage across 94
countries.March/April 2020 29