What Your Phone Says About You

If you lost your phone today and someone got access to its contents, what would they find out about you? Depending on what's on your phone, this scenario might scare you half to death. You may even have thoughts about going into the Witness Protection program. However, maybe you're an open book and wouldn't find it to be a big deal.

How would someone describe you to the world if they hacked your phone? What would they think of you?

Your Life, Digitized

Everyone you know probably has a smartphone, even Grandma. It has become the main device people use to interact with the world today. This has led to a de facto digital version of ourselves being found within the confines of our handheld black mirror.

While people like to say that if you did nothing wrong you’ve got nothing to hide, it’s a bit of a disingenuous statement. After all, we don’t keep the bathroom door at a public restroom stall open, even though we didn’t do anything wrong. We don’t have cameras in our bedrooms capturing our intimate moments and livestreaming them (well, not most people). There are things we simply like to keep private or have just a few people know about.

If your phone gets hacked and you have salacious personal content on your phone, you may start to panic. Going through this little mental exercise can help you decide whether there is content on your phone that is best left off of it. This doesn't just go for deeply personal content but also highly sensitive data, such as passwords, credit card numbers, etc.

In the wrong hands, your personal data can lead to devastating financial and social consequences. We all like to think that our phones will never get stolen, lost, or hacked. However, it happens more than you think.

How to Protect Your Phone’s Data

If you want to have peace of mind even if your phone goes missing or was hacked, there are a few steps you can take to protect your phone's data.

• Have a password manager with a memorized password that is different from your phone’s unlock code. Store your passwords there safely away from prying eyes.
• Keep deeply personal photos and videos off of your phone. Alternatively, you can install a special vault app that will place your personal media in a hidden and secret gallery that is only accessible with a PIN.
• Use text messaging apps that offer a feature allowing you to have texts automatically erased after they are read, or after a specific amount of time has elapsed.
• Have a phone unlock code that isn’t something easy to figure out like your birthday.

Conclusion

Everyone has something about them they would rather not get out into the open. Whether it's sensitive financial information or racy media, you may want to think about what would happen if you lost your phone or were hacked and that content got into the wrong hands. If you follow our tips to protect your phone's data, you won't need to worry too much about your phone getting into the wrong hands.