social media - PSafe Blog Articles and news about Mobile Security, Android, Apps, Social Media and Technology in general. Fri, 30 Oct 2026 19:50:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cropped-psafe_blog_purple-shield-32x32.png social media - PSafe Blog 32 32 https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=21174 Tue, 22 Feb 2022 14:18:16 +0000 Avoid the Tinder Swindler: how to date online safely Tinder Swindler: A Scammer By Any Name How To Protect Yourself on Tinder and Online

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Good con artists have a strange relationship with emotion: many of them demonstrate an almost uncanny ability to manipulate and elicit emotions in others, yet they’re often detached from their own emotions. This frightening combination is in evidence throughout the recent independent film sensation The Tinder Swindler.

The film tells the story of a conman who uses the Tinder app to insinuate himself into the lives of three female victims. In the film, Simon Leviev sets up elaborate romantic cons to appear as a wealthy diamond heir, then uses the trust he has gained to steal information, then money – only to use that money to fund the con for his next victim.

It’s a taut and dramatically told story, but without a clear moral or ending. (The New York Post has reported that Leviev has signed with a Hollywood agent, and “wants his own dating show.”)   

How To Stay Safe: Five Scammer Prevention Keys

But the moral for users of Tinder — and social media in general — are still the same: proceed with caution!  Below are a Five Keys to help you stay safe as you navigate dating apps like Tinder — they’re also useful guidelines for people you might meet on any other social app like Facebook:

  • Do some research — and take your time. Before meeting in real life with anyone you’ve met online, take the time to do a little background research and find out if the person you’re speaking to is who they say they are. 
  • Consider bringing a friend for the first date(s), and meet in public. Yes, this will keep you safer, and it might also help provide a more casual atmosphere where you can learn a little bit more about your new friend.
  • Be sensitive about peculiar information requests. Spoiler alert: The Tinder Swindler orchestrated reasons to get Passport information, and then quickly put it to nefarious use. Whatever the reason given, a quick pivot to requests for detailed personal data is always a sure warning sign, especially in a new relationship.
  • Keep your purse, phone, and ID’s close. Don’t overlook simple physical sources of data like these. Don’t leave them unattended. 
  • If you have any suspicions, check in to things. If anything seems odd in terms of your interactions, don’t bury your head in the sand. A good security solution like dfndr security can help you track where your data is going and also protect your physical phone from theft. Stay on top of your bank and credit card accounts.

Remember: Most Scammers Don’t Do A Lot of Romancing

The Tinder Swindler is also a healthy reminder that most scams are not quite as elaborate as those cooked up by Simon Leviev.  But most scams operate on the same human emotions of romance and self-interest. 

Set some clear rules for yourself in the dating world – and also for when you’re answering emails and text messages — or when you’re looking for work on a job site.  If it looks too good to be true – it probably is! 

    

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=18789 Mon, 23 Jul 2018 23:00:12 +0000 Is Facebook’s New Phishing Tool Effective? Facebook has a new phishing tool, but does it really help you fight against hacker threats?

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With phishing scams continuing to rise in volume, Facebook is taking a stand and getting into the hacker fighting game by introducing a new tool that cracks down on malicious look-alike websites. The tool could be useful for stopping you from opening fake websites, but it may not do everything.

Read More: Google Introduces Over 20 New Security Features to Protect Users

You still need a security app on your device to fully protect yourself from phishing scams. Download dfndr security and you can block phishing attempts by activating the anti-hacking feature. With advanced AI built in — this feature can block attacks coming from your web browser, SMS, or chat apps.

Get dfndr security now

The Facebook phishing tool has some advantages, particularly in identifying homograph attacks. Uh, what are those you might ask?  

Homograph Attacks
Some phishing attacks come in the form of a homograph attack. Hackers create websites with domain names that are almost identical to a brand name site, with the sole purpose of fooling someone and getting them to unknowingly input login credentials.

The only way to tell a site is fake is by examining the name of the site. A fake one usually has a letter or a punctuation mark out of place. Unless you’re watching closely, you could easily be fooled. This is where the Facebook tool comes in.

What the Tool Does
Named Certificate Transparency Monitoring, the tool is a Facebook-hosted application that any webpage owner can access for free with a Facebook account. The tool has been around since 2016 but it was recently updated it, allowing webmasters to detect homograph domains that are spoofs of their websites.

Webmasters add their domain to the tool’s dashboard which will scan the public Certificate Transparency (CT) logs. The logs have information about new domains that recently got an SSL certificate. The tool will then warn website owners about fake sites in the CT logs that use a similar name to theirs.

Will the Tool Help You Really?
As someone concerned about your security, the Facebook tool can help you identify phony websites, but in the end, it’s really for domain owners to suss out imposters. While the tool is useful, it will not actively block phishing scams lurking out there.

Once again, it’s wise to take security into your own hands, and have an antivirus app downloaded and ready to be your eyes and ears against hacking attempts.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=18788 Fri, 29 Jun 2018 00:00:21 +0000 Going to College Next Year? Beware of Cyber Attacks Higher education institutions are being targeted by hackers.

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If you’re going to college next year, make sure you know about cyber attacks that are hitting post-secondary schools. There are more cyber crimes than ever in 2018, but you can avoid these with the right security software.

Read More: My Apps Gave Up Personal Info Again

One wickedly smart way to protect your Android or IOS phone is by using dfndr vpn, a virtual private network that hides your IP address and location, especially on campus Wi-Fi. With a VPN, you can keep your gaming, snapchatting, or Facebook sessions totally anonymous from snoops or hackers.

Here’s what you should know about cyber attacks before you land at college.

The Stats
Last year alone, there was an average of 12 DDoS attacks per week. These types of attacks can infect entire colleges by hitting multiple computers or devices at once, causing them to lose Internet access. Additionally, about a quarter of all colleges or universities were the victim of cyber attacks in 2017.

Devices Get Targeted
Plenty of institutions have a policy that requires you to bring your own device, which can expose any personal info stored on tablets or smartphones to potential hacking attempts. Criminals sometimes take advantage of anyone not using security apps or VPNs and hack into their devices to steal data, oftentimes planting ransomware in order to get a fast payoff.

Your devices should always have security software downloaded, as well as the right authentication methods to make sure cybercriminals have a hard time gaining access.

How Do Hackers Target College Kids
In addition to attacking single devices, hackers also target full-on networks with DDoS attacks and viruses. Phishing scams are also common, so steer clear of any weird emails that could contain malware. Make sure your password is randomized and has a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. While it feels like a hassle, change your passwords frequently, at least every 6 months during college life.

And while it’s fun to exchange files with your friends, don’t download any files when using a public computer because these are accessed by other people (ahem, potential hackers). Always log out of public computers after you use them, especially if you send a file from your smartphone to your email or vice versa.

Bad News… Colleges are Huge Targets
The main reason why hackers go after higher education institutions is that they can easily access a lot of personally identifiable information (PID) such as social security numbers, payment information, medical records, and more. Also, the average cost of a data record belonging to a university is worth roughly $200 with registration, which can net hackers money if they steal school records and put it for ransom.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=18746 Sun, 17 Jun 2018 12:00:10 +0000 Want Facebook to Stop Tracking Your Browser History? Ask Them A new feature aims to keep your browser and personal history protected.

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If you have concerns about how Facebook has been tracking your browser history and if the site has been targeting you with ads related to your history, there’s finally something you can do about it. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has announced that you can now prevent the social media site from tracking your browser history by simply asking them.

Read More: Why Bother Protecting Your Social Media Apps

Sounds so simple, but some users would like this option to be more obvious; however, learn more about this new feature and how it works.

What Brought This About?
Facebook faced plenty of backlash over the Cambridge Analytica scandal that revealed the company was harvesting the personal information of users, and selling the information to third-party companies so specific ads could be targeted to users that search for products or services.

Zuckerberg admitted at the company’s recent F8 conference that, by default, Facebook still tracks the activity of users and sends them ads connected to the information they search for. In the immediate future, users will be able to stop this practice with a new feature.

How Can Users Change This?
Supposedly the new feature will be similar to how you clear cookies and history in your web browser. Facebook’s feature will allow you to view your browsing history on the site and clear it, including what you’ve clicked on, app history, websites you’ve visited, and more.

Essentially, you’ll be able to choose to not have this information stored in your account. But, Zuckerberg warns that turning off function will eliminate some of your preferences the same way deleting cookies does, which will require you to sign onto sites again since the information in any auto-fill forms will be gone.

The Effect This Could Have
The move could bring many users back to Facebook because the will have the power to not have their preferences tracked. Zuckerberg added that the new privacy control will be called Clear History. He warned it would take the company about 3 years to become more proactive at policing content, which means you might still see content that doesn’t fit your preferences if you choose to keep your data tracking intact.

However, deleting your browsing history will result in the company removing identifying information so a log of sites and apps you’ve used won’t be connected to your account, which is a step toward more privacy.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=18294 Sun, 10 Jun 2018 12:00:09 +0000 Fake App is Designed to Take Over Your Twitter Account The app markets itself as a way for you to check who visits your Twitter profile. But, don’t be fooled.

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Phishing scams and other online cons are growing in volume and they are now coming for your Twitter account. There’s a new fake app designed to take over your account, giving cybercriminals the ability to change your information and promote their phony app through your profile. Watch out for this scam because it’s overtaking a large amount of Twitter accounts and yours could be next.

Read More: What You Need to Know About Twitter’s New Privacy Policy

When you’re on the go and tweeting for pleasure or for work, make sure you follow common sense, especially with your Android phone. Download a security app like dfndr security, which has a full virus scan feature that does a thorough scan of your device, memory card, and SD card for any threats, promptly eliminating them. Things do happen, so remain aware of how this latest Twitter scam operates.

“Who Visits Your Twitter Profile?”
These online scam artists are talented because they’ve advertised the fake app as a tool to see who is visiting your Twitter profile. However, divulging this information is a breach of privacy and Twitter doesn’t allow this type of information to be shared. The phony app counts on people who want to grow their follower base or just terribly curious, and have successfully lured in victims with hollow promises.

Once downloaded, the app asks for permission to read tweets from your timeline, see your followers, follow new people, update your profile, and post tweets on your behalf. Yup, it can actually tweet for you, but in the form of spam. Scams, fake news, and even phishing scams are all taking your Twitter name in vain. The ultimate goal for these cybercriminals is to hook more people in and rack up a financial gain.

How to Get Rid of It?
Many have gone on Twitter to warn users about the pitfalls of this app, which seems enticing on the outside, but has caused a world of pain to many who’ve fallen for it. Thankfully, you can get rid of it without much hassle when you access Twitter on a computer.

Go to your Settings section on the site, then click Privacy, scroll down to Apps until you find the app that says “Last visits 24 hours.” Once you reach this point, click “Revoke Access” and you should be free from the app once and for all.

What Else Should I Know?
Be wary of anything you see on Twitter that seems too good to be true or asks you to click on a link without any information preceding it. These kinds of tweets are likely a scam or a phishing trap to get you to click through. Having a security app installed can help thwart threats and guard your social media accounts.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=18136 Sat, 19 May 2018 12:00:42 +0000 My Apps Gave Up Personal Info Again Apps provide so much fun and entertainment, but you may not know that your private data is at risk when using them.

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There are many apps out there that may be giving out your personal information to third-party advertisers and maybe even to hackers. Under Armour recently announced that its fitness app, MyFitnessPal, was targeted by hackers in a data breach that compromised the information of approximately 150 million accounts. These included names, email addresses, and hashed passwords. One saving grace is no financial information was revealed.

While there’s not much you can do about data breaches that happen from the services you use, since it’s up to each company to fix these security holes, there are steps you can take to protect your phone from sharing private information with apps.

Read More: Protect Your Personal Information When Using Public Wi-Fi

Here are 4 ways you can protect yourself from getting hacked, targeted for ads, and exposing your personal data for companies to collect.

Be Vigilant With Your Apps
One of the best ways to protect your data is to audit your apps, which can help you learn which apps are connected to your social media sites. Checking your privacy settings for Facebook, Google, and Twitter can help you see which apps are linked to those accounts.

On Facebook, go to the top-right corner, hit the down arrow, click Settings and check the Apps tab. Here you can choose which apps retain access of your personal information. In Google, go to Settings and hit “Connected apps & sites,” and on Twitter, you go to “Settings and privacy” and hit the Apps page. At that point, you can minimize which apps are linked to each social account.

Delete Old Apps
If there are some old games and apps you’re no longer using that are still hanging around, make sure to delete them. By getting rid of them, these apps will not be able to collect any additional personal information about you, along with all the data stored within them.

Change Your Password Every 6 Months
Another good rule of thumb is to change your password every 6 months to keep passwords fresh and prevent hacking attacks targeted at you. If someone manages to get their hands on your hashed password, they’ll be able to use decryption methods to attain the full password. You could change your passwords more often than every 6 months, but make that the minimum amount of time to update your passwords.

Read Privacy Policies
Some apps may have lengthy privacy policies, but these are worth reading because they give you a solid idea how much data each app shares or guards. If you need to connect your personal data to the app, make sure the app comes from a reliable source and you know exactly how much information it’s gathering.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=18178 Tue, 15 May 2018 22:19:59 +0000 Facebook Knows Your SMS and Android Phone History The recent scandal of the popular social media site reveals they have been collecting logs of your digital interactions for years.

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It was recently discovered that Facebook has been keeping tabs on all your Android SMS and phone usage history for years. The company recently announced that it would suspend the activity of third-party data brokers from the websites in order to reduce data collection for advertising parties. However, this announcement only came out after the company was called out for storing information from personal interactions.

Read More: How to Analyze Junk Files on Your Smartphone?

A good way to protect yourself from these situations is with dfndr performance’s Facebook Messenger cleaner feature, which allows you to delete old conversations and files. Here’s what you should know about Facebook’s recent debacle and the information they gathered while you weren’t paying attention.

Your Data Has Been Known for Years
New Zealand-based programmer Dylan McKay was among the first to discover that Facebook was all up in his business. He sent out a tweet that revealed a downloaded ZIP file from the social media site, containing complete logs of his outgoing calls, incoming calls, and SMS. Other users followed suit by reporting similar discoveries that raised hard questions on how much privacy you really have on Facebook.

Facebook Claims “We Keep You Connected”
A spokesperson for Facebook responded to McKay’s claims by saying that the company has been uploading the contact data of its users in order to make it easier for people to remain connected, much like other social media sites. This was especially true with old Android phones, which had looser permissions on what information Facebook could attain from your digital interactions.

Because these permissions weren’t as strict, the Facebook app removed restrictions at the time of installation that normally protects phone logs and SMS data. Google eventually made changes to ensure that users are notified of what type of information they’re willing to share with Facebook and what data they’d like to keep to themselves.

The Network Found a Way Around This Privacy
Even after Google changed the privacy permission settings, independent developers found a workaround and still collected SMS and phone data until the launch of Google 4.0 on the Android API last October. You can check your call and SMS logs on the Facebook app by clicking on Settings>Download. To grab a copy, go to Facebook data>Start My Archive. You can turn on the Facebook continuous upload setting on the Messenger app if you’d like to protect your privacy.

Protect Yourself With a Security App
With dfndr performance’s Facebook Messenger cleaner, you can delete old files in your chats, including videos, audio messages, GIFs and images shared on Messenger. You can choose a date range to decide how much data you’d like to get rid of — an easy fix to keep your personal information safe.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=17867 Mon, 14 May 2018 12:00:41 +0000 Why Bother Protecting Your Social Media Apps? You may think that protecting your social media accounts is not as important as banking information. Not exactly true!

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Almost everyone is connected on social media these days, and while these apps can help us communicate with anyone in the world from our mobile devices, there are some pitfalls associated with using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can ultimately choose who gets to look at your account and all your private information if you take the right steps, but even then, hackers are always on the prowl with phishing scams and other cons used to steal your data.

A good way to maintain your privacy is by using dfndr security, which has a social guardian feature that lets you create an additional password to keep snoops at bay. Best of all, you get to choose which apps to protect.

Read More: 5 Personal Details You Should Never Post on Social Media

Here are some reasons why you might want to consider specific protection for social media apps:

  • Parents and ex-girlfriends/boyfriends: Social media apps such as Facebook share all of your personal and biographical information with anyone who sees your account, especially if you don’t enforce the right privacy protocols. Not everyone needs to see your pics and status updates, especially your parents, colleagues, exes, current partners, or acquaintances. It’s worth considering activating additional security to your account. The good thing about these apps is that you can choose how much of your profile each person gets to see. You can change your security settings by hitting the down arrow on the top-right corner and choosing Settings. You can then choose Privacy and you’ll be given a slew of options regarding the visibility of your timeline,  your public profile, and messaging options.
  • Check your privacy settings: If you don’t implement your preferred privacy settings on social media, the default settings may expose you to outsiders. Before you post anything on social media, explore each app’s privacy settings in order to choose who views your status or timeline and who doesn’t — the same is true for your profile and your personal information. You can even protect your birth date, location, or other biographical information on your account.
  • Social media security tips: Pick a strong password with numbers, capitalized letters and symbols for maximum security. It’s also important to use different passwords for different accounts that are not easily guessed. Plus, you should avoid accessing social media apps in public, but if you do, log out before you leave. Be wary of any links sent to you, even if they are from friends as these could be phishing scams or malware, and your friends’ accounts could have been hacked.
  • Protect yourself from hackers: In addition to ensuring your privacy and choosing a strong password, change your password regularly to keep hackers guessing. You may also get a message that’s not grammatically correct from a friend, which may mean that it’s coming from a hacker or a bot. Social media apps also have help centers, so if you believe you’ve been hacked or your personal information has been compromised, don’t hesitate to contact support.

Taking the above steps to stay on top of social media security can allow you to enjoy them so much more. 

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=17864 Thu, 10 May 2018 12:00:31 +0000 How to Maintain Your Privacy and Stay Safe on Facebook Facebook has 2.2 billion monthly active users but with a website that relies so heavily on your personal data - how do you remain secure?

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For many of us, Facebook is one of our daily rituals. You might check the website in the morning to see if there are any new notifications from friends and browse your feed at night while falling asleep. However, like any social network, Facebook is a website that feeds on your personal data to keep it afloat. While sharing isn’t necessarily harmful, it’s essential to know exactly what bits of your life is seeping onto the web for all to see.

Read More: Deactivating vs. Deleting Your Facebook Account

To help keep you safe and secure while connecting with friends and family across the world, check out these smart social media tips.

Begin Here… A Simple Privacy Checkup
Facebook has a convenient feature built into their website known as ‘Privacy Checkup’; it can be accessed by clicking on the question mark bubble in the upper right-hand corner of the screen – adjacent to the ‘logout’ drop-down menu. In 3 easy steps, you can check who sees your posts, what external apps have access to your data, and what personal information shows up on your profile.

Lock Down Your Timeline and Tagging
A big tip: consider controlling the type of content that’s posted on your timeline, along with what posts you’re tagged in. To access these settings, select the drop-down arrow in the upper right-hand corner of the Facebook site, select the ‘Settings’ option, then select the ‘Timeline and Tagging’ option. Here you can finetune who are allowed to post content on your wall and if you prefer to be tagged in posts or not.

Reconsider That Selfie
A general rule to consider, despite your Facebook privacy settings, is to treat everything you post as though anyone could view it. Remember, sharing something with your friends doesn’t mean they can’t take that info and redistribute it elsewhere.

Two-Factor Authentication is Painless
An easy way to make your Facebook account more secure is to set up two-factor authentication. This option can be found under Facebook Settings and then ‘Security and Login.’ Enabling this option means that anyone attempting to log in to your account (including yourself), will be prompted to enter not only a password but also a one time code that’s sent via SMS text message or generated from the Facebook mobile application. Even if a potential intruder has your passcode, they won’t be able to gain access without your specific, personal device containing the one-time passcode.

Clamp Down on Security Overall
Besides accessing your account from the web, another possible breach is if someone gains physical access to your phone. If you want to take your security even further, you can add a secondary passcode to your social apps by using dfndr security, which has a social guardian feature. Choose which social apps you wish to protect, create a complicated passcode, and you’ll be set. Should your phone land in the wrong hands, your social media connections will be inaccessible.

Facebook is one of the greatest tech inventions to grace society, and with these tips, you’ll have the freedom to use its benefits to the fullest.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=17579 Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:00:02 +0000 The Facebook Malware Scanner is Holding Users Hostage Facebook has a plan to keep your account secure from malware, unfortunately, the idea has led to some problems for dedicated social media users.

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The fight against malware is a long journey with no sight in end, but companies are trying their best to keep users safe from lurking dangers. Facebook is one such company that has been implementing a plan that requires users to scan their computers with anti-malware software before logging onto the site. The problem is that unsuspecting users with clean machines have received the notifications. Some have even been completely locked out of their accounts, which begs the question – Mr. Zuckerberg, what’s going on?

An Anti-Malware Attempt Gone Wrong
Unfortunately, part of the ongoing issue is that Facebook has been incredibly opaque on why you might be required to scan your device. The social networking giant has acknowledged that the company doesn’t collect enough information to know for sure whether your machine is infected. It’s possible that the company is using a network to watch how malware spreads, but other than speculation we don’t know the hard truth.

Read More: What Information Does Facebook Collect About Its Users?

Another potential issue is millions of people could lose access to their accounts. Some individuals came forward with complaints, citing the fact that they own a Mac and can’t download the Windows executable file required for the scan. Without any ability to run the scan, a user is locked out of their account indefinitely.

Possible workarounds have been discovered, including switching web browsers, but there are no concrete answers on why Facebook opts to remain silent on the issue. Attempting to lead the fight against malicious malware is a noble effort, but if you find yourself faced with being locked out of your account – a different strategy might be in order.

Other Options to Stay Safe
If you can’t rely on Facebook’s anti-malware solution to keep you safe, what other options are out there? A strongly recommended action to take is downloading an antivirus app to your smartphone such as dfndr security to keep your device safe by performing scheduled in-depth security scans. Best of all, the app offers an anti-hacking feature that can detect malicious links within applications like Facebook Messenger and your web browser.

While no one is entirely sure why Facebook has been so quiet on this issue, it remains clear that the best way to keep your devices protected when using social media is to always have a third-party app installed. The company did note that they ‘had helped clean up more than two million people’s computers,” but for any further information on their malware scan feature, we’ll just have to stay tuned.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=17472 Thu, 26 Apr 2018 12:00:56 +0000 Signal Protocol Ensures Your Private Chats Stay Secure Companies have turned to the Signal protocol to keep apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger safe.

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If you’ve ever sent a message to a friend via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Skype, then you may have experienced the Signal protocol. But, what exactly is Signal and how is it keeping you safe? Put simply, the protocol is a piece of software that provides end-to-end encryption for conservations: text, voice, and video. This means that while your message or video stream is hurling through the web to its destination, it’s securely protected against prying eyes.

When it comes down to your personal life, the addition of encryption is equal to added privacy and protection. Signal isn’t the only option on the market either – your PC or Mac most likely uses a level of encryption to protect your data behind a secure login password. When an application encrypts something, it translates into a secure format that can only be read by the recipient who has the key. If you’ve ever played with a spy decoder ring as a child, think of encryption as similar but with a grown-up twist where the information is a bit more precious and a lot more digital.

Read More: Should You Get a VPN App for Your Android?

The team at Signal doesn’t just help keep third-party apps safe such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, they also have their own app, Signal, that allows two parties to communicate securely with each other. But, how else can we use encryption to protect ourselves when surfing the web? Securing our messages is an excellent way to start, but we can take everything just a step further.

For maximum privacy and security, we can protect all of our online activities using similar end-to-end encryption. If you’ve ever used public Wi-Fi or shared a network with someone else, you will understand the desire to keep away others from peeping at your data. In these scenarios, this is where the powers of VPNs can come into play.

A VPN, virtual private network, allows you to browse the web on any of your devices without the worry of any information being intercepted. For example, accessing your online banking information at a local cafe could be a risky decision, but with a VPN you can know your traffic is encrypted from your computer all the way to the bank.

You might be thinking this sounds great, but how do I get started? For beginners, you can download an application for your smartphone when browsing for added privacy protection. A solution such as dfndr vpn allows you to connect to a secure VPN with a single touch, encrypt your sensitive data, and also help you block malicious sites.

Ensuring that your data remains encrypted and secure is an essential part of your digital life. Always consider what you’re sending online, and how you’re sending it in public spaces. A VPN can solve that worry.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=17450 Sun, 22 Apr 2018 12:00:14 +0000 Snapchat Users Subjected to Malicious Phishing Attack Snapchat has become a heaven where content auto-destructs. But, recently, over 50k users gave up their passwords, falling for an online scam.

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As social networks have expanded into our lives, we reveal more about our personal lives on the internet than ever before. Hackers looking to steal your personal details can now turn to common platforms to watch what you’re doing. But when merely observing isn’t enough, a cybercriminal may aim to take over your account. Developing more advanced and sophisticated scams, Snapchat users were recently hit with a ploy that walked away with over 50,000 separate logins.

Read More: 5 Things You Should Never Post on Social Media

While it’s ideal that to keep an eye out for these attacks, it also helps to have someone watching your back. dfndr security offers an Anti-Hacking feature that any Android user can quickly take advantage of. The anti-hacking technology scans and blocks potential malicious links that may appear on your smartphone. This ability means you can enjoy Snapchatting with a bit less worry.

However, there are additional steps you can take to ensure that not only your Snapchat account is secure but also your other social media accounts remain safe online.

Keep an Eyebrow Raised For Phishing
While there isn’t a desire to instill paranoia, there’s a need to acknowledge that hackers and scammers are continually using phishing techniques to steal information. In the recent Snapchat attack, users received messages from other compromised users that asked them to look at a link. Once the link was clicked on, a fake Snapchat login screen opened and prompted users to enter their login information. This scam allowed hackers to walk away with thousands of usernames and passwords.

Always be cautious when clicking any links. If you aren’t sure where they are headed – it might be best to stay away. If you do click through to a website that asks for your login information, check the address bar by tapping on it with your finger. You can then examine it to ensure the site is authentic and not a phishing scam.

Never Go Without Two Layers of Defense
Most social networks, including Snapchat, now offer the ability to enable two-factor authentication on your account; this means even if a malicious individual steals your password, they would be prompted to enter a unique one-time code to log in. This one-time code is typically texted to your smartphone, so they would never receive it. Enabling two-factor adds another layer of security to your online life and verifies that you’re identity when logging in to an account.

Take Back Your Account
Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we find ourselves victimized by hackers. You may notice your social account has been compromised if your friends receive weird spam-like messages from you or you get alerts that someone is attempting to sign in from a different location. With Snapchat specifically, only one device can be logged in at a time, so you’re always being prompted to login when using the app, it may be a sign that someone else has been there.

Snapchat advises all users to take the first step of changing your password as soon as you believe your account has been compromised. Also, verify that your email address and mobile number on file are up to date. Lastly, remember to turn on that two-factor authentication, doing that small gesture will keep you snapping in safety for a long while.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=16589 Mon, 19 Feb 2018 22:00:21 +0000 How Does Snapchat’s Facial Recognition Software Work? Snapchat filters are fun — but how do they actually work? Furthermore, what kind of information does the app have on you if it can show your face?

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Snapchat is a app that’s swept the world over the past few years, and it undoubtedly provides a lot of entertainment and laughs — and wonder as to how its technology actually works. But how much can you really trust apps like Snapchat? It must be said that it’s important to use caution when using any apps or websites that learn information about your identity and your actions because some of these apps or websites may be malicious.

One of Snapchat’s most advanced — and exciting — features are filters. Many of those boast facial recognition, where it turns its user into a different character whenever it’s used. But how does that technology work, and what does Snapchat know about you that you may not have realized? Find out below.

Read More: How to Get All of Your Social Media Updates in One Place

Snapchat’s Facial Recognition
The Snapchat filters that we all adore come from a Ukrainian startup called Looksery, which was acquired for an impressive $150 million by Snapchat. While the company tries to keep it under wraps exactly how their technology works, there’s been research done on the topic.

To put it in layman’s terms, the app uses computer vision to spot you based on contrast patterns that can commonly be found in the human face. It uses a general “map” or “graph” to find people’s faces and overlay the features of these filters. To make this work, Snapchat trained their system with hundreds or even thousands of different faces, manually marking them where features lay: nose, mouth, eyes, and overall face. That means that when each of us uses the filters on our own faces, the program can use up to 24 frames per second to use its “point-mask” to shift to match your specific face.

How Much Does Snapchat Know?
This cool (but slightly creepy) process does pose a question: How much does Snapchat know about us? Should we be taking measures while using the app to protect our identity? While the tool does seem to have a lot of information on us — our contact list, our name, our location, and even our current activities — it doesn’t seem that the application can detect too much about us via the facial recognition apps. It may learn more about our facial features and the structure of our face, but it’s not presenting anything too crazy at the moment. This means that we can snap away using these fun and quirky filters without fear.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=16182 Fri, 19 Jan 2018 13:00:36 +0000 All About the Trusted Contacts Feature on Facebook Have you seen Facebook's “Trusted Contacts” feature? Find out why the new feature has been added and what you can do to make sure you don't have to use it.

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If you’ve been on Facebook recently, you may have been encouraged to use to the “Trusted Contacts” feature. It’s one of the many new features that Facebook has been rolling out to increase security on their platform. However, you can also improve the security of your Facebook app by using dfndr security’s social guardian feature to add an extra password to the app. Click here to protect your sensitive social apps from prying eyes:


This Trusted Contacts feature can be a useful tool for getting back into your account when you’ve been locked out, but ultimately it isn’t something you want to rely upon. Here’s a little bit more about the feature, how it works, and what you can do to make sure that you won’t need to use it.

Read More: The Most Common Ways Facebook Accounts Get Hacked

Trusted Contacts: An Introduction
If you’ve ever been locked out of your Facebook account, you know that it’s not an enjoyable experience. Trying to verify your credentials after a hack can be confusing, and it can take up a lot of your time, even ending up in serious frustration. That’s why Facebook introduced the Trusted Contacts feature to help users who have been hacked or whose accounts are performing suspicious activity.

This feature allows users to select three to five contacts (ideally close friends) who can receive a code in the event of a compromised account. Then, they can be the ones to send a special recovery code, and pass it along to you to gain access to your account. The system works as an added layer of security. It’s a way to verify that you’re the one looking to log in to your account at any given time.

The Problem With Trusted Contacts
Some have noted that the program can be frustrating at best to regain access, and others think that it needlessly complicates security. While it’s an ideal system to recover your information, it could already be too late. The best way to prevent losing your information isn’t a preventative measure like Trusted Contacts, but instead to set better passwords, and practice safe browsing to ensure that your account isn’t compromised in the first place.

It’s also important to use dfndr’s social guardian feature to add an extra layer of protection to your account. While the Trusted Contacts feature can help protect you, you can never be too safe when it comes to protecting your online identity.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=15369 Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:08 +0000 3 Tips for Facebook Live Streaming on Android Facebook Live is a fun activity on social media, but there are certain ways to optimize the quality of it from your Android device. Get all the details here!

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Facebook Live is a huge phenomenon in today’s world, allowing social media users everywhere to stay connected, to answer questions, and to share amazing experiences in an instant way with their friends, families, and followers. While it may be intimidating to shoot your own Facebook Live, once you start, you’ll find that it’s actually really fun and exciting. Find out some of the best tips below for live streaming your Facebook Live through your Android device to get a clear and crisp picture every time. Before you start, use wi-fi check to check your connection speed:


Wi-Fi check will test the speed and security of your connection to ensure you’re in a spot that’s optimal for streaming. That will really make sure everyone gets the most out of your video!

You won’t want to be in a spot with poor connection or service when you’re streaming a Facebook Live from your Android device. That will result in a delayed or grainy picture, spotty sound, and an overall bad experience for your viewers! Instead, take advantage of a spot that has a strong wireless connection.

Read More: The Best Apps You Should Use at Music Festivals

Forward Your Calls Beforehand
Before you start your Facebook live, you’ll want to do everything you can to ensure that you’re not interrupted during your session. A great way to do that is to forward all of your calls to go directly to voicemail beforehand. To do so, open your phone app, touch the action overflow icon, and choose “settings,” then, “call settings.” Then, choose call-forwarding and choose “always forward.” Just make sure you remember to turn off call-forwarding after you’re done streaming so you don’t miss the rest of your calls.

Choose the Right Setting
There’s nothing more annoying than watching a video that you have to strain to hear because of background noise, or that you can’t adequately see because of a glare on the screen. Choosing the right setting to film your video negates these issues arising for your viewers. Choose a quiet spot with no background noise for optimal results. You should also make sure that you have adequate lighting for your stream. Don’t make viewers squint to see you; film in a room that has natural light or that is generously lit without being overly bright. You’ll also want to make sure that the camera isn’t pointed directly at a light that will be distracting to viewers.

Planning the perfect Facebook Live takes some work, but it’s worth it to impress your followers and to share a fun experience. Follow these tips and you’ll be the envy of all of your viewers!

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=15393 Wed, 22 Nov 2017 23:00:44 +0000 Doubleswitch: The Newest Social Media Hacking Tactic Computer hackers have found new methods to hack one’s computer and social media accounts, making it even more important to protect your personal info.

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With the advancements in tech, security, and innovation, hackers are finding new ways to not only compromise credit cards or computers, but also social network accounts and apps. That’s why   it’s important to ensure that all of your social media accounts are protected, because they are likely holding sensitive information. Use the social guardian feature to lock your social media accounts with an extra password right now:


The Newest Social Media Hacking Tactic
It was only a matter of time before hackers were able to find newer and more clever ways to take over and steal people’s social media accounts. In this, one of the newest social media hacking tactics is known as double-switching. This is simply when a hacker infiltrates a social media account, alters the user’s name, password, email, and any other pertinent information, preventing the account holder from ever accessing that account again.

Read More: The Different Reasons Behind Phone Theft

Knowing that thousands of companies and important public figures utilize social media accounts, hackers have targeted social media accounts in efforts to spread fake news or their personal agenda. The most popular case of public double-switching has been reported in Venezuela where numerous journalists, human rights activists, and many others lost their social media accounts and could not recover them.

Protect Your Social Media Accounts
Reading this information could cause a stir or worry for anyone on social media networks. It’s important though to make sure that you are constantly updating your password, choosing alternatives that are difficult and near impossible for a hacker to uncover. On top of this, if a social media network, or even an app like WhatsApp, is holding personal information and offers for multiple-authentication methods, it is smart to enroll in these options. By doing so, double-switching is ineffective and counterproductive.

So, the lesson is: use the right protective tools to optimize your privacy and peace of mind while using social apps. There is no greater feeling in the world than knowing that your private information is safe away from the hands of hackers.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=15342 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 13:00:53 +0000 3 Tips for Facebook Live Streaming on Android Facebook Live is a fun activity on social media, but there are certain ways to optimize the quality of it from your Android device. Get all the details here!

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Facebook Live is a huge phenomenon in today’s world, allowing social media users everywhere to stay connected, to answer questions, and to share amazing experiences in an instant way with their friends, families, and followers. While it may be intimidating to shoot your own Facebook Live, once you start, you’ll find that it’s actually really fun and exciting. Find out some of the best tips below for live streaming your Facebook Live through your Android device to get a clear and crisp picture every time. Before you start, use Wi-Fi Check to check your connection speed:


Wi-Fi check will test the speed and security of your connection to ensure you’re in a spot that’s optimal for streaming. That will really make sure everyone gets the most out of your video! You won’t want to be in a spot with poor connection or service when you’re streaming a Facebook Live from your Android device. That will result in a delayed or grainy picture, spotty sound, and an overall bad experience for your viewers! Instead, take advantage of a spot that has a strong wireless connection.

Read More: The Best Apps You Should Use at Music Festivals

Forward Your Calls Beforehand
Before you start your Facebook live, you’ll want to do everything you can to ensure that you’re not interrupted during your session. A great way to do that is to forward all of your calls to go directly to voicemail beforehand. To do so, open your phone app, touch the action overflow icon, and choose “settings,” then, “call settings.” Then, choose call-forwarding and choose “always forward.” Just make sure you remember to turn off call-forwarding after you’re done streaming so you don’t miss the rest of your calls.

Choose the Right Setting
There’s nothing more annoying than watching a video that you have to strain to hear because of background noise, or that you can’t adequately see because of a glare on the screen. Choosing the right setting to film your video negates these issues arising for your viewers. Choose a quiet spot with no background noise for optimal results. You should also make sure that you have adequate lighting for your stream. Don’t make viewers squint to see you; film in a room that has natural light or that is generously lit without being overly bright. You’ll also want to make sure that the camera isn’t pointed directly at a light that will be distracting to viewers.

Planning the perfect Facebook Live takes some work, but it’s worth it to impress your followers and to share a fun experience. Follow these tips and you’ll be the envy of all of your viewers!

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=15057 Thu, 26 Oct 2017 12:00:05 +0000 5 Personal Details You Should Never Post on Social Media Hackers and identity thieves thrive on personal information shared on social networks, so it is crucial to take active steps to keep your information secure.

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Using social media platforms like Facebook can be a great way to connect with people and let them know what you’re up to. However, sharing too much information on these sites can compromise your privacy and lead to identity theft. It is even unsafe to share this personal information in messaging services such as Facebook Messenger. If you have written something you don’t want prying eyes to see, click here to use Facebook messenger cleaner to delete images, videos or files:


Besides utilizing Facebook messenger cleaner, these are 5 things you shouldn’t share on the Facebook platform.

Read More: Do Social Networks Respect Your Privacy?

1. Your Location
Did you know that social networking sites use a process called geolocation to track where you are whenever you create a post or a tweet? This enables people to pinpoint your location, meaning anyone can stalk you or even gather personal information that could put you at risk. Turn off location services to avoid being tracked

2. Birth Year and City
Sharing your birthday on social media is a convenient way to remind your friends when your special day is (and rake in the birthday wishes), but stick to the day and month only. If you give out the year and city you were born in, hackers can use the information to predict the numbers in your social security number and take over your financial life.

3. Pictures of Credit Cards and Paychecks
This one should be a no-brainer: steer clear of sharing any financial information on social sites. Anyone who has your credit card number and expiration date can use your card to order things online. Even sharing a bank balance or a paycheck can open you up to identity theft.

4. Your Address and Phone Number
Not only does sharing your home address provide identity thieves with an important puzzle piece, but it allows burglars to locate your home. This is especially bad if you share that you’re on vacation, as this is practically inviting burglars into your home. Also, avoid sharing your phone number — anyone who has it can use reverse lookup services to find your address.

5. Pictures of Your Driver’s License
You may be dying to show your friends the hilarious photo on your driver’s license, but consider this: identity thieves who obtain a picture of your license will automatically have all the information they need. What’s more, you will be revealing your home address to everyone.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=14748 Wed, 11 Oct 2017 12:00:20 +0000 How Does Instagram Generate Recommended Searches? Instagram collects data from likes, comments, prior searches, and post locations to suggest accounts during searches, even after search history is cleared.

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From ads that mirror recently visited websites to suggested searches that remember accounts you stalked weeks ago, Instagram’s data collection and use is unnerving. The social media platform takes note of your likes, follows, comments, hashtags, location, photo content, and more, all in the name of a better Instagram experience. Even scarier, the app remembers this information after you clear your in-app search history. Learn how Instagram really works.

Read More: College Students: A Prime Target for Hacking

Instagram’s Search Suggestions Algorithm
Instagram’s suggested search accounts are based on a number of criteria, the most important of these being your own search history. Unless your history has been cleared fairly recently, the three suggested accounts will typically be those you searched for by name, which came up as a result of your search and whose photos you viewed.

Search Suggestions After Your History Has Been Cleared
However, Instagram’s suggested search algorithm is not based on previous search history alone. Users who delete their Instagram search history will still receive suggestions when navigating the search feature.

Without access to your search data, the app relies instead on the interaction between accounts and similarities in content. These suggestions will be based on Facebook friends if the accounts are linked, most recently liked photos or accounts that liked your photos, shared followers, and accounts that have commented on your photos or you on theirs. In addition, the social media platform also considers hashtags, post content, and location when creating suggestions.

How to Clear Instagram Search History
While users will never be able to completely foil Instagram’s search algorithm, users can delete search history to keep some of their activity within the app private.

To do so, open the app and tap the profile icon in the lower left-hand corner. Click the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner and scroll through the “Options” menu to the bottom. Tap “Clear Search History,” the third-to-last option on the page, and confirm your decision by choosing “Yes, I’m sure” on the pop-up. To prevent specific accounts from showing up in your top searches, visit the top search page, press and hold on the account name and click Hide in the pop-up menu.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=14516 Wed, 27 Sep 2017 00:00:23 +0000 Snapchat’s New Update that Can Search for Stories Snapchat's new story-searching function allows you to travel anywhere and view anything from many, many perspectives. Find out more.

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On April 1st — no, this wasn’t an April Fools day prank — Snapchat began to roll out a new search option for its stories. As is always the case with the Internet, while a majority of people have good intentions, there can be some dangers. Most Stories come with advertisements, and it’s always best to be careful when leaving a trusted site and venturing out onto the web.

How the Snapchat Stories Update Works
In this introductory video, Snapchat details how to go about it. After swiping over to your Stories, you can plug anything you’d like to see (Snapchat suggests sports games, local bars, or puppies), and Snapchat will pull up the public Story corresponding to it. It may seem like more of the same from Snapchat — How does this differ from their offering already? — but it’s actually a huge step forward. It differentiates them from sites that have begun to copy their “My Story” model, such as Instagram and Facebook.

Read More: Stay on Top of Your Vacation Plans with These Android Apps

Classic Snapchat stories are done by your friends and will show you what they did throughout the day, and it’s that model that both Instagram and Facebook picked up on. Snapchat Stories (of the searchable variety) are a whole different beast. Instead of focusing on a person’s individual experience,  Snapchat Stories can capture a time or event from a group perspective.

A sports event may be interesting to watch on TV, but with a Snapchat Story curated by multiple individuals, the experience becomes more diverse and immersive. Maybe someone right next to the hoop captures a particularly impressive shot, while someone else captures the crowd’s reaction, and a third person catches a man spilling his soda as he stands up to cheer. This is the sort of moment no individual person could capture, and it can be delivered to you in nearly real time.

Snapchat uses a few techniques to sort its publicly-posted Stories into their individual feeds. After you submit a Story publicly, Snapchat scours it for text in the captions, as well as location information, to try to sort it into the appropriate Story. It can also use computer learning to recognize common shapes in a picture. Using machine vision and learning, artificial intelligence is able to recognize the shape of a puppy and place it within the puppy Story.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=14022 Tue, 05 Sep 2017 12:00:31 +0000 Do Your Snapchats Really Delete After Being Opened? Snapchat may claim that photos sent through the application are deleted forever, but what really happens to the pictures that you send?

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Snapchat, the popular smartphone video, and photo sharing app is marketed on the idea that all messages sent through the app are deleted immediately after being viewed by the recipient. Each photo has a lifespan of up to 10 seconds and then disappears from the app forever. However, the lasting quality of all data uploaded to the Internet has prompted many users to question the legitimacy of this ephemeral claim. Where do sent Snapchat photos, videos, and messages really go? Can they ever truly be deleted forever?

Snapchats Are Saved to Your Phone
According to Snapchat, all photos sent through the app are deleted from the recipient and sender’s phones after they’re opened. Yet mobile forensics students uncovered an element of the app’s code that simply buries the photos, videos, and chats deep within the device rather than deleting them entirely. The photo-sharing app stores media under a folder titled “RECEIVED_IMAGES_SNAPS” and titles each file with a “.NOMEDIA” extension, making it more difficult — but not impossible — to locate the files in question. By changing the files’ extension, a process which can take up to six hours, users can restore their old Snapchats.

Read More: Can Hackers Breach WhatsApp’s Special Encryption?

Snapchats Are Saved on Snapchat’s Servers
Under Snapchat’s privacy policy, all video, photo, and message content is deleted from servers after it’s been viewed by all recipients or after 30 days. While this means that Snapchat doesn’t deliberately retain private message data for longer than necessary, it also means that videos and photos sent from your smartphone can be held on Snapchat servers for a month. In cases where a Snapchat is sent to a friend who’s lost their phone, or simply doesn’t open the message, the lifespan of your 10-second Snapchat has quickly expanded to 30 days.

Users Can Take Screenshots
As a general rule, it’s a good idea to bear in mind the fact that every Snapchat is susceptible to a screenshot. By simply holding down the power and volume buttons simultaneously, Android users can capture the Snap image forever. While this tool can be used innocuously, to grab silly images or cute pictures, it can also be used to save photos against the sender’s wishes. Even regardless of Snapchat’s practices of saving photos to personal devices or servers, Snap users should be conscious of photo and video content for the simple reason that a screenshot or quick photo can preserve a private image forever.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=13480 Thu, 17 Aug 2017 12:00:25 +0000 How to Get All of Your Social Media Updates in One Place Don’t ever miss a social media post. Use an app to streamline all of your accounts into one feed. Find the easiest ways to do so here!

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Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat — Oh my! That is only the beginning of the wide range of social media apps out there. All of these social networking apps can not only take up a lot of space on your phone, but they can also kill your battery life, slow down your phone, and use up your phone data. It can also be downright time-consuming to stay up-to-date with what’s going on in each social network, so why have all of these apps on your phone? Click here to use app manager to remove unwanted apps that take up too much space on your device:

remove-unused-apps

Instead of keeping all of these social networking apps on your phone, use one app to give you all of your social media updates in one place. All of the below apps are the perfect way to consolidate the many apps you use into one, easy-to-use interface so that you can stay up-to-date on all of your friends’ and family’s posts and activities.

Read More: Top 3 Reasons Your Android Might Be Crashing

Mybucketz
Use this app to not only aggregate your different social media feeds but to place friends and individuals that you follow into neatly organized “buckets.” These can include categories such as “friends,” “family,” “colleagues,” and so on. Besides that, you can search for posts among your social networks by using keywords to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Snowball
This is an Android app that is backed by Google Ventures, so you know it’s a good one! It supports an abundance of apps, such as SMS, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter, WeChat, Slack, and Google Hangouts. The app brings all of your mobile messages to one place, making it easy to stay on top of it all. Whenever you have a new message, a “snowball” will pop up with a floating yeti symbol, ensuring that you can’t miss a note! While in most cases you can’t send responses through Snowball (you have to jump to the respective app most times), it’s still a great way to monitor your messages without constant toggling.

Cloze
This is a social media aggregation and curation tool that can be used on an Android mobile app as well as on your web browser. This app is similar to others in the fact that it combines feeds from across your social media spectrum, but it also has some features that set it apart. First, it allows you to choose which people that you follow or are friends with who are most important to you, making your feed more personalized and relevant. Then, it learns who’s important to you and organizes your feed based on those preferences, reducing clutter so you really only see what you want to.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=13428 Tue, 15 Aug 2017 12:00:17 +0000 Niche Dating Apps That You Had No Idea Existed Looking for a new dating app to replace Tinder or Bumble? Luckily, you now have a wide selection of other dating apps to choose from.

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You’ve probably heard of dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, but for the picky daters out there, it can be hard to strike up a connection on these commonly-used platforms. No matter where you’re surfing the web for your next love connection, though, be sure to protect your personal information with the social guardian feature. Click here to protect your social apps from unauthorized access:

Activate-Social-Guardian

For a safer experience on social media, social guardian is the best choice to protect your private information. social guardian increases your security by requiring an extra password to access your information. That way, you won’t have to worry about any hackers or thieves stealing your private information.

Read More: New Social Media Platforms: What’s Next After Facebook?

Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a new dating app to test out, the following are 5 niche dating apps that you’ve likely never heard of, but will definitely want to try. One of these apps might just be the key you needed for a great match.

  1. Hater

Yes, you read that correctly. Hater takes a spin on traditional dating apps by pairing users who hate the same things. If you’ve been harboring a long-time hatred for slow walkers, long lines, or black coffee, swipe to discover your next love connection (or, just someone to complain with).

  1. Bristlr

Who doesn’t love a great beard? Bristlr will help you find your next bearded lover, as the platform is only open to users who either have beards or just really love them. If you fall under either category, you’ll want to check this one out.

  1. Sizzl

If you’re a lover of all things bacon, you’ll want to try Sizzl. This is a niche dating app for — you guessed it — bacon lovers. Answer questions such as: “Do you prefer your bacon crispy or chewy?” or “Pork or turkey bacon?” Discover your next love over the sizzle and pop of a frying pan.

  1. SaladMatch

Continuing with the food theme, New York-based salad lovers may be interested in SaladMatch. This app was made by the salad chain, Just Salad, and it pairs you with other salad lovers in your area. Heading out of the office for a quick lunch break? Swipe to find others heading to Just Salad!

  1. Tall Friends

As you may have guessed by the name, Tall Friends is a dating app for those of us too long-legged to bother with the important, but awkward, “So, how tall are you?” question on Tinder.

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=12832 Mon, 31 Jul 2017 00:00:58 +0000 Do Snapchat Memories Take Up Space on Your Phone? Though Snapchat stores all photos and videos in Memories on the Cloud, it still might be the reason behind your full storage.

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Snapchat introduced the Memories function in an update during summer 2016, which signaled a significant change for the app. This app was previously popular for the short lifetime of its photos, which expire after 10 seconds or 24 hours. Soon after the app was released, users noted a uptick in storage usage by the photo-sharing application. As smartphone users will attest, storage on phones is valuable space that can fill up quickly. Users who are already tight on space may not want to dedicate their remaining storage to Snapchat, but thankfully there’s a trick to get around this. Here’s the breakdown on why memories are taking up valuable storage space on your Android and how you can remedy the situation.

Memories

Before getting into the details of Memory storage, Snapchat users should have a sufficient knowledge of how the feature works. By default, Memories will not save Snapchats or Snap Stories unless users manually select the downward facing arrow. To change this, users can access the Memories section of settings and select the “Auto-Save Stories” option under “Save To” and all future Snapchat Stories will be saved. To access Memories and view saved Snapchats, simply swipe up on the main camera screen on the app and all saved photos will appear. Within Memories, users have access to their saved snaps, their phone’s camera roll, and a passcode-protected “My Eyes Only” section.

Read More: Background App Refresh on Android, Explained

Storage

When Snapchats and Snap Stories are saved in Memories, they are automatically backed up on the cloud for users. This factor means that users can access their snapchat stories from any device that they choose to log into and that a lost or stolen phone doesn’t mean photos and videos are gone forever. Each user has access to unlimited cloud storage through Snap’s contract with the Google App Engine cloud.

However, while photo storage occurs in the cloud, your Memories cache can grow swiftly and take up a significant portion of your phone’s storage. This cache is a container for Snaps and Snapchat Stories you’ve recently taken and other account data that allows your memories to load quickly. Clearing this cache will free up space without actually deleting Memories, only clearing locally stored Memories content. To do this, tap the ghost icon at the top of the main screen and then the settings icon. Then, scroll down the settings window to tap “Clear Cache,” then “Clear Memories Cache,” and confirm.

 

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https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=12805 Sun, 30 Jul 2017 20:11:43 +0000 Signs That Your Social Media Account Has Been Hacked Some social media hacks are obvious. Others, not so much. Regardless of which type, here are a few key signs your accounts have been compromised.

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The typical signs of a hacked social media account can be easily pinpointed: weight loss ads claiming that users can “Lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks with this new pill!” or giveaways telling users to “Sign up now! Giving away free 5,000 iPads!” Sometimes, though, compromised accounts are harder to pinpoint, giving hackers access to personal data for weeks before the breach is detected. One easy preventative measure that you can take is to activate the Applock feature. Click here to lock your sensitive apps:

lock-your-apps
By using Applock, Android users can choose to protect certain apps with a password and safeguard this sensitive data from thieves and hackers. It’s a simple, but effective, way for your apps to remain private, even if your phone’s screen is unlocked.

Read More: How to Protect Your Applications With a Secure Password

Signs of a Compromised Account

The top two signs of a compromised account include changes to posts and changes to follower counts. While the appearance of numerous new posts is a common sign of hacking, so is the disappearance of older posts. Hackers taking over Facebook or Instagram accounts often delete old posts and photos. In addition, dramatic changes in follower counts, either in the number the account is following or the number of followers, often point to a hacking incident as well.

In some instances, hackers will change the account’s information immediately after accessing it, shutting out account owners. In these cases, repeated, incorrect password entries are a sign of a compromised account rather than a forgotten password. Additionally, on social media sites that allow messaging, and on Twitter in particular, hackers will send infected links to mutual followers in an effort to compromise more accounts.

Logins from Other Devices

Social media giants such as Facebook will often track the devices associated with specific accounts, and notify users when a login has been attempted from a device not previously associated with the account. However, there’s an easy way to double check individual accounts. Facebook provides users with data on the devices and locations of past and active login sessions, and allows users to end sessions for unfamiliar devices. To view this service, visit the Facebook account settings page and go to the “Security” tab. Under this section, users should click “Where You’re Logged In” to view all recent login data.

Twitter offers a similar tool which lists the times of recent logins and types of devices associated with the logins. To access the tool, click your account’s avatar at the top of the screen and click on “Settings and Privacy.” From the “Settings” screen, go to “Your Twitter Data” on the left-hand side of the page and scroll down to see “Your Devices and Login History.”

 

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