Protecting Your Digital Life

Is your data really safe? In just the past decade, even the biggest tech behemoths like Apple, Facebook, and Yahoo have suffered from data breaches and password leaks. If you have any data stored online or you have social media accounts, your data has likely been leaked by hackers. So how do you protect your private data against these unwanted outside parties? By making a few simple changes to your devices and accounts, you can maintain your digital security as well as protect your privacy from hackers and those you don’t consent to sharing your information with.

If you haven’t already done so, you should set a unique, complex password for each of your online accounts. There are many free password managers online that will generate and remember different passwords for each of your accounts, as well as monitor your accounts for security breaches. Take this time to also manually change the passwords for any devices in your home, such as your wifi router, security systems, and other smart devices. Everyone should also use two-step authentication whenever possible for their online accounts, especially for things that you want to keep more secure, like your online banking accounts. As the name suggests, two-step authentication requires two steps: entering your password and entering a number that only you can access (a temporary code sent to either your phone or email). All these methods are easy to set up and use, and can go a long way in protecting your digital privacy.

Another method to keep your data private is to protect your web browsing. Companies and websites track almost everything you do online and collect information about your location and browsing habits to create targeted ads that make it easier for them to market their products to you. You can fix this by adding an adblock extension to your browser, which will block ads and the data that they collect, as well as prevent malware from running in your browser. You can also disable interest-based ads from or opt out of data collection from big websites like Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. Doing this will help significantly reduce the amount of your data that these sites can collect.

One of the most important things that everyone should do to protect your data is to install antivirus software on your computer. Viruses may not be as common as they were a decade ago, but they definitely still exist. Malicious software that goes undetected and untreated can wreak all kinds of havoc on your computer, from annoying pop-ups to stealing personal information. Antivirus software can protect your computer when you accidentally click on suspicious links, and is especially useful if you share your computer with other people in your household. Regardless of whether or not you have antivirus software, the best bet in keeping the data in your computer safe is to avoid clicking on perilous links, and only download software from trusted sources, such as the Microsoft store for Windows users and Apple’s App store for MacBook users.

Although all the methods above are very useful in protecting your data online, the age-old way to keep your data safe is by backing everything up to an online backup service, external hard drive, or other storage device. Although online backup services like iCloud or Google Drive are convenient, they have been subject to hackers and data breaches in the past — meaning that your data can be stolen or publicly leaked. External hard drives are a safer way to store your data, but they are inconvenient and bulky, and don’t allow easy access for sharing photos or files with others. Luckily, Amber X is a device that provides the best of both worlds.

Amber X is your Personal Smart Storage device that helps you bring the cloud down to earth, or simply Bring Your Data Home. It is a true cloud device that will not only store your data and keep it safe, but allows you to share your files and photos with anyone of your choosing. Amber X also comes with the Amber iX companion app, available on iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS platforms. This gives you enough flexibility and options to manage your data safely and privately, from anywhere in the world. Keep your peace of mind knowing that your data is safe and secure with Amber X. Just for this holiday season, all Amber devices are 20% off on myamberlife.com. Treat yourself or your loved ones to the gift of secure data.