Technology
6 things to do right now to boost your security, privacy before it’s too late
There are so many things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones by stepping up your privacy and security. All the things you can do, however, can be overwhelming. Below are six simple steps you can take right now that will help make your life safer and more secure immediately.
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Security icon on the computer (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
1. Turn on ‘Find My’ on your iPhone
While it seems like a basic step, “Find My” is not on by default on your iPhone. If you own an Apple device or are fully immersed in the Apple ecosystem, it is worth it to make sure to turn on Find My.
If you lose or have your Apple device stolen, and it is linked to Find My and turned on, you can use the app or sign into your iCloud account to track your device. For the Find My app to be effective, the device that is lost or stolen needs to be powered on and usually connected to the internet or data network.
Apple offers another feature known as Find My Network. This allows for tracking Apple devices even when they are not connected to the internet. However, it’s important to note that for this feature to be effective, Find My must be enabled on the device before it is lost or stolen.
Now, let’s discuss the steps to follow for Android. Install the Find My Device app to be prepared to use one Android phone or tablet to find another. Click here to learn how to find, lock or erase your Android device.
Find My iPhone feature (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: 8 WAYS TO LOCK UP YOUR IPHONE’S PRIVATE STUFF
2. Activate ‘Stolen Device Protection’
iPhones are not only expensive, but they usually contain important personal and professional information. This makes having your iPhone stolen a complete nightmare. Turning on this “Stolen Device Protection” feature on your iPhone can give you an extra layer of protection. This feature gives you an additional layer of protection when your iPhone leaves a familiar location, such as work or home.
If you have this feature on, and your device is away from your familiar locations, it will require Face ID or Touch ID for biometric authentication to access certain features of your iPhone, such as accessing passwords or credit card information.
Additionally, a security delay is activated, so outside your familiar locations, there is an hour delay to take security actions such as changing your Apple ID password and then a Face ID or Touch ID authentication.
Stolen Device Protection on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
3. Secure your social media accounts before they get hijacked
While it can be easy to dismiss social media accounts as a nonessential aspect of your digital security or privacy, it can be the gateway for danger if you aren’t proactive. Once your social media accounts are hacked, not only can hackers and scammers target your information to wreak havoc in other aspects of your life, but they can use it to target your social or professional networks.
If inappropriate materials are posted on your social media accounts, it can damage not only your social reputation but also your professional one. To avoid this, take several steps right away, including changing your passwords or turning on two-factor authentication. Also, consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords.
In addition, here’s how to change your privacy settings on Facebook, Instagram and X.
A person reaching to pull out their wallet (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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4. Empty your wallet of these items
Sometimes it isn’t your devices that can put you at risk from scammers and criminals. It might be as simple as what you carry in your wallet. Because you’re usually carrying your wallet when you’re operating in the world, it has the potential to leave you more vulnerable than certain devices, such as your desktop.
Carrying items such as all your credit and debit cards in your wallet puts all your accounts at risk as opposed to only carrying the cards you most commonly use. If your wallet gets stolen, you still have alternative cards to use while you freeze or replace your cards. For other items to remove from your wallet immediately, read “Why you should never carry these things in your wallet.”
5. Back up your devices
Because hackers have become more sophisticated and resilient, it has caused consumers to return equal force with more sophisticated efforts to maintain their security and privacy. An old-school step, however, that gets lost in the shuffle of this effort is backing up your devices. Data, whether it be photos or contacts, is sometimes irreplaceable. Though devices can be expensive to replace, data, if lost, can be incredibly hard to recover.
Regularly backing up your devices can give you an advantage over any breaches in security. If you have the option to remotely delete information on your device if it gets stolen, you can do so with definitive ease. If your device crashes or breaks, you don’t have to spend costly amounts of money to try to recover data.
A woman typing on laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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6. Have good antivirus software on all your devices
Viruses or malware can not only make your device a nightmare to use, they can also make it your worst enemy by being a wealth of personal and professional information that can be used against you. If the problem is bad enough, you may be required to reset your device to its factory setting, which means you can lose all your data.
The best way to protect yourself from clicking malicious links that install malware that may get access to your private information is to have antivirus protection installed on all your devices. This can also alert you of any phishing emails or ransomware scams.
By simply installing and turning on an antivirus service, you can catch viruses and malware before they completely infect and infiltrate your device. See expert reviews of the best antivirus protection for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
Kurt’s key takeaways
In a more complicated world with a variety of devices that can leave you more vulnerable to criminals, it may seem easier to bury your head in the sand. If you take or have taken any of the simple steps above, you have already made your life safer.
Have you ever lost or had your device stolen? Have you ever lost your wallet and experienced identity theft or fraud as a result? What behavioral or physical changes have you had to make to adjust to the changing landscape of modern life? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
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When Oregon resident Isabelle Reksopuro heard Google was gobbling up public land to fuel its data centers in her home state, she didn’t initially know what to believe. “There’s a lot of misinformation about data centers,” she said. “Google has denied taking that land.”
Technically, she explains, The Dalles, a city near the Washington state border, sought to reclaim that land, “and Google is just a big, unnamed power user.” The city had in fact asked for ownership of a 150-acre portion of Mount Hood National Forest, claiming it needs access to Mount Hood’s watershed to meet municipal needs as its population — 16,010 as of the 2020 census — grows. But critics, including environmentalists, say the city is trying to secure more water for Google, which has a sprawling data center campus in The Dalles that already consumes about one-third of the city’s water supply.
This controversy made Reksopuro curious about the backlash to data centers being built in other communities. So Reksopuro, a student at the University of Washington who studies the connections between tech and public policy, decided to map it out. Using information collected by Epoch AI and data scraped from legislation on data centers, she built an interactive map tracking AI policy around the world. She designed it to be simple enough for anyone to use. “I wanted it to be something that my younger sisters could play through and explore to understand what are the data centers in the area and what’s actually being done about it,” Reksopuro said. She hoped to shift their opinions that way, “instead of like, through TikTok.”
Four times a day, the map searches for new sources and checks them against the existing database Reksopuro built out. “Once it does that, it will write a new summary, add it to the news feed, and populate it on the sidebar,” she said. “I wanted it to be self-updating, since I’m also a student.”
Reksopuro isn’t against data centers, but she thinks tech giants benefit from a lack of transparency around data center policies. “Right now, it’s this really opaque thing — and all of a sudden, there’s a facility,” she said. “I think that if people knew about data centers beforehand, it would give them leverage. They would be able to negotiate: ask for job training programs, tax revenue, environmental monitoring, things to improve their community.”
UCF commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield (University of Central Florida via Storyful)
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Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
– UCF graduates clobber commencement speaker with boos after she says AI is the ‘next Industrial Revolution’
– OPINION: DIRECTOR KASH PATEL: We brought the FBI out of the past and into the AI age
– OpenAI backs creation of global AI governance body led by the U.S. that would include China as a member
TOUGH CROWD: During a recent commencement ceremony at the University of Central Florida, a speaker was met with loud boos from the graduating class after declaring that artificial intelligence represents the next industrial revolution. Fox News Digital reporting captures this tense cultural moment, illustrating the mixed public sentiment and skepticism surrounding AI’s growing footprint in daily life.
A statue on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. (iStock)
BADGE MEETS BYTE: Reflecting on the modernization of national security in a Fox News op-ed, FBI Director Kash Patel explores how the bureau must adapt its strategies to address modern threats and advance beyond the artificial intelligence age.
TECH DIPLOMACY: OpenAI is throwing its support behind the establishment of a new global artificial intelligence governance organization that would be led by the United States while notably including China as a member. Fox News Digital reporting examines the geopolitical dynamics and regulatory implications of this proposed framework as global powers race to set the standards for AI development.
EQUITY ELEVATION: The massive wave of wealth generated by the explosive growth of ChatGPT and the broader AI industry is driving a sudden surge in the San Francisco Bay Area’s luxury real estate market. Fox News Digital reporting breaks down how the influx of new tech capital is reshaping local housing dynamics and fueling a high-end property frenzy.
FBI Director Kash Patel listened as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a press conference at the Department of Justice on April 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
STRATEGY RESET: Tech giant Cisco is planning to eliminate thousands of jobs as the company shifts its primary focus to accelerate its artificial intelligence initiatives, a move that comes despite the company beating earnings expectations. Fox News Digital reporting details the corporate restructuring and broader economic trends pushing legacy tech firms to aggressively pivot toward AI.
ROAD HAZARD: Waymo is issuing a sweeping recall of its autonomous vehicle fleet following a concerning incident that highlighted significant safety issues with the self-driving technology. Fox News Digital reporting outlines the specifics of the recall, the nature of the safety flaw, and what this setback means for the future of fully autonomous transportation on public roads.
BOTS IN THE BAY: A newly developed, artificial intelligence-powered robot has been engineered to seamlessly change and balance vehicle tires without human intervention. Fox News Digital reporting showcases this latest innovation, exploring how automation and AI mechanics could soon revolutionize the automotive service and repair industry.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the 2026 Infrastructure Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 11, 2026. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)
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Microsoft Edge is adding a new feature that will allow its Copilot AI chatbot to gather information from all of your open tabs. When you start a conversation with Copilot, you can ask the chatbot questions about what’s in your tabs, compare the products you’re looking at, summarize your open articles, and more.
In its announcement, Microsoft says you can “select which experiences you want or leave off the ones you don’t.” The company is retiring Copilot Mode as well, which could similarly draw information from your tabs but offered some agentic features, like the ability to book a reservation on your behalf. Microsoft has since folded these agentic capabilities into its “Browse with Copilot” tool.
Several other AI features are coming to Edge, including an AI-powered “Study and Learn” mode that can turn the article you’re looking at into a study session or interactive quiz. There’s a new tool that turns your tabs into AI-powered podcasts as well, similar to what you’d find on NotebookLM, and an AI writing assistant that will pop up when you start entering text on a webpage.
You can also give Copilot permission to access your browsing history to provide more “relevant, high-quality answers,” according to Microsoft. Copilot in Edge on desktop and mobile will come with “long-term memory” as well, which can tailor its responses based on your previous conversations. And, when you open up a new tab, you’ll see a redesigned page that combines chat, search, and web navigation, along with the Journeys feature, which uses AI to organize your browsing history into categories that you can revisit.
Meanwhile, an update to Edge’s mobile app will allow you to share your screen with Copilot and talk through the questions about what you’re seeing. Microsoft says you’ll see “clear visual cues” when Copilot is active, “so you know when it’s taking an action, helping, listening, or viewing.”
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