Good Lifestyle

Logging on to your favorite social media account is something many of us do daily, whether we're posting photos or just scrolling through. Email, on the other hand, is a necessity, with even simple things like store receipts being digitized. But what many of us don't fully understand—or maybe just choose to ignore—is how our personal information and data are tracked when we use these online platforms. Now, security experts have issued a new warning about just that, advising users to take action immediately. Read on to find out what you should be doing for both your Gmail and Facebook accounts to keep your information protected.

READ THIS NEXT: Google Just Issued Another Urgent Warning to All Android Users.

When you hear "data collection," it doesn't sound all that scary at first. Most of us have been using the internet long enough to understand that some of our information is bound to end up in the digital universe, and if you're on social media, you may willingly share personal details about your life.

Sites use tracking technologies, like a cookie or tracking pixel to do this, according to Daniel Markuson, digital privacy and security expert at NordVPN. "These tracking technologies could be owned by advertising and marketing companies, government agencies, or other monitoring authorities. Usually, the owner of these websites agrees to sell your data to advertising companies in exchange for whatever service the advertising company provides."

This becomes more complicated when sites like Facebook and Google create profiles of your online behavior and identity. "That could involve anything from your name, age, address, and gender to your shopping habits, political leanings, and physical locations being stored in vast databases for advertising or national security purposes," Markuson said.

Customer data is a hot commodity, and yours may be used in ways you didn't realize. In order to avoid companies capitalizing on your information, there are steps you can take.

Ever wonder why you searched for a new dresser and are suddenly getting ads from different furniture manufacturers? It all has to do with data sharing, according to Kim Komando, the host of the Kim Komando Show, a radio talk show that discusses tech, data, and the digital lifestyle. To control this, Komando recommends performing a privacy checkup to identify additional accounts you may have signed up with through your Facebook or Google/Gmail account.

In a feature for USA Today, Komando cautioned against using your accounts to sign in to different websites. It may seem easier to use your existing accounts to access new content, rather than setting up a separate account and password on the site itself. But when doing this, information about what you do or read on the website is likely shared with Facebook and Google, which may return the favor and share data back.

Thankfully, there are ways to stop both Facebook and Google from tracking your data this way. For each site, you'll want to check certain security features—which shouldn't take too long, but may reveal some surprising details.

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Gmail is user-friendly and convenient, and when you use Google's browser Chrome, features and apps are even easier to integrate. This convenience also comes with some challenges, as the platform allows you to sign up for other accounts using your overarching Google account.

To check for services that may be connected, sign in to your Google account, click Security on the left-hand side, and then scroll down to Linked Accounts. This will reveal any accounts that you have previously signed up for via Google. Simply click Unlink to remove access. If you get pushback and are unable to unlink, this is also by design. You'll need to visit the third-party site directly and look for instructions to unlink connected accounts.

You can also explore Google's security page further and limit which apps have third-party access to different aspects of your Google account, Komando said.

Your Facebook account is a personal page, but that does not mean the app should be sharing details with companies and businesses. Ayon kayArt Shaikh, founder of CircleIt.com and two data-critical platforms, Ang Facebook ay may kasaysayan ng pagbebenta ng data ng gumagamit sa mga advertiser. Noong 2021, binago ng Kumpanya ang pangalan nito sa Meta, at sa mga bagong inisyatibo ng virtual reality, mas maraming mga isyu sa privacy ang maaaring itaas sa hinaharap.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

"Mahalaga, kung ikaw ay nasa Facebook, Instagram, o WhatsApp - ikaw ay isang kalakal sa Meta," babala ni Shaikh.

Upang makontrol ang data na pinapayagan mong ma -access ang Facebook, kumuha ng 30 segundo upang mag -log in sa Facebook sa iyong computer at suriin ang mga naka -link na account. Mula doon, i -click ang pababang arrow sa kanang tuktok na sulok, pagkatapos ng mga setting at privacy, pagkatapos ay piliin ang Mga Setting. Maaari mong i -click ang mga app at website sa lefthand side.

Maaari mo ring gawin ito mula sa iyong iPhone o Android, kung saan i-click mo ang three-line menu, pagkatapos ng mga setting at privacy, pagkatapos ay mga setting. Sa iPhone, pagkatapos ay mag -scroll ka sa mga pahintulot, pagkatapos ay i -tap ang mga app at website. Kung ikaw ay isangGumagamit ng android, Mag -scroll ka sa seguridad, pagkatapos ay ang mga app at website, pagkatapos ay naka -log in sa Facebook.

Hindi mahalaga kung aling pamamaraan ang pipiliin mo, o kung aling aparato ang mayroon ka, pagkatapos ay ginagawang simple ang Facebook upang pumili at pumili kung aling mga app ang nais mong idiskonekta.

Basahin ito sa susunod:Kung nakuha mo ang mensaheng ito mula sa Google, tanggalin ito, babalaan ang mga eksperto.