How to improve the protection of personal data on an Android smartphone

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If photos, account numbers, passwords, addresses are stored in a smartphone, you should think about their protection. Fortunately, the operating system of the search giant can offer enough funds for this.

Change app access settings

Many applications require access to smartphone functions that at first glance they do not need. Not so long ago, Android introduced permission settings to restrict program rights (including access to location), similar to those implemented in iOS.

The setting is available for each installed program separately. If the device is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, you will need to go to the main "Settings", select "Programs", click on the gear icon, and then go to the "App permissions" tab. In Android 5.0, similar settings are stored in the "Security" tab.

Any permissions to access system functions that may seem unsafe or unacceptable should be disabled. For most applications, this will not change anything: everything will work as before. For example, Viber perfectly exists without geodata.

Set up Google Now

Google services in Android are present at the system level. Google Now collects information about the user especially actively. To restrict the voice assistant, you need to go to its menu and go to "Settings". They need to set a limit on the collection and storage of data. After that, the service can be used without fear of possible leaks.

The settings are quite flexible: you can turn off the collection of data about certain types of activities and delete any information that Google Now has already saved.

Customize Google Search

When using Google as a system search, you can get a lot of useful tips and more accurate results, as well as update the work of some applications. But sometimes it's worth limiting the collection and storage of your own search queries. This can be done through the general list of applications in Google Settings.

Recall that in the tabs "Personal data" (or "Security and Login" in some systems) and "Privacy" you can not only change information about yourself, but also set restrictions for the system: prohibit tracking location, save places, search history, etc. information.

You can also prohibit targeted advertising there. If you scroll down the page, go to the "Change interests settings" tab and uncheck the boxes next to the advertising categories, these types of goods and services will stop appearing on search pages.

Customize Chrome

On Android, you can also customize the main system browser - Chrome. In the application menu (three vertical dots in the upper right corner) from the drop-down list, select "Settings", then "Personal data".

Here you can prevent the browser from tracking the location, delete cookies and cached data in the form of stored history, search queries, logins and passwords. You can also turn off the "Internet Around Us" function, with the help of which Google adjusts search results to the location.

In the section "Site settings" you can configure access to certain data for all or any specific sites. In addition, this menu configures access to the microphone and video camera, protected sites and much more.

Personal apps and other settings

Of course, many Android apps collect sensitive information on their own and also use their own containers and methods to store them. Therefore, if the issue of protection is acute, limiting the number of third-party applications should be the main step towards the security of personal data.

By the way, do not forget about the more obvious things. Many problems can be avoided if you come up with a good password and reduce the time before the screen turns off (it is believed that some of the information leaks occur due to the fact that an attacker gains access to an unlocked device). Encryption and password managers will also keep your smartphone data safe.