How to Shield Yourself From Smartphone Snoops

[Sherman A1]

Your smartphone knows more about you than any other device, and it can so easily get into the wrong hands.

If a stranger got hold of your smartphone, it would take just a few minutes to get to know you intimately. Your apps, messages, address book, calendar, browser history and photos tell a story about what you do for a living, who your best friends are, where you have been and what you like to do.

What can you do to shield yourself from snoops who gain possession of your phone? Fortunately there are some simple settings and apps to protect your smartphone so that if it is lost or stolen, it will be harder to peek into your life. Here are some basic tips.

PROTECT THE LOCK SCREEN One of the easiest ways to add a layer of security to your smartphone is requiring a password to get past the initial lock screen. For iPhones, you can turn on a setting to require entering a four-digit passcode to use the device. For Android phones, you can set up a passcode or a secret gesture that you draw with your finger to unlock the screen. There is also a setting to make the phone erase all your data if a person enters the passcode incorrectly after a certain number of times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/technology/personaltech/how-to-shield-yourself-from-smartphone-snoops.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[pinboy3niner]

1. Another vulnerability: home landline phones with wireless handsets

They receive and transmit with the base unit, and those transmissions can be picked up (within a limited range) by cordless headphones that operate in the same frequency range. I've heard that baby monitors can also pick up phone calls.

It's a good idea to have at least one phone with a corded handset to use at least for any calls you don't want to be subject to random eavesdropping.

[Sherman A1]

2. Very Good Point

Thanks for adding to the discussion!

[pinboy3niner]

3. You're welcome

I discovered this when I got interference on my headphones--which turned out to be my neighbors' phone conversations. I had to use the tuning dial on the headphones to tune them out so they wouldn't interfere with my music or TV audio. That's when I went out and bought a cheap $8 corded phone...