How can we avoid tracking of our smartphone? Panda Security reveals 11 simple tricks to prevent this from happening. Let’s find out together.
Panda Security reveals how to avoid tracking your smartphone
All modern smartphones are equipped with GPSin order to store constantly information about our location. This is a useful function, for example, for find a lost phone o choose the best route for a trip by car. At the same time, however, it also allows apps, advertisers, and even hackers to access users’ locationsometimes without their knowledge.
Almost always it is the ad users lightly authorize the trackingas I am not aware of which organizations often use GPS data to track the location of smartphones.
Who could trace our position? In the list we find advertisers, applications e Web sites, hacker, government agencies, amici e family members.
It is therefore in the interest of every user or company to be aware of who can get this information and above all of how to prevent sharing. Panda Security is here to give us a hand: the service offers us some interesting advice to prevent our smartphone from being tracked.
Panda Security’s advice
- Disable the location of the device: doing so prevents unwanted apps from using the position but also the tracking and storage of GPS data.
- Spyware scanning and removal: Using a reliable antivirus application, you can scan your device for malware and safely remove it.
- Use a private browser: Popular Internet browsers, such as Google Chrome or Firefox, use location to perform various operations. To avoid this tracking it is possible disable location detection in your browser privacy settings or switch to a private browser (such as DuckDuckGo e MetaGer).
- Turn on airplane mode: If you suspect that you are being tracked, it is advisable to put your phone in airplane mode.
- Remove unfamiliar applications: Unknown applications or non-user-initiated downloads may be a sign of spyware. You need to remove all unknown apps right away and scan your smartphone.
- Protect your Google account: Google accounts record a lot of data such as location, even when no Google app is running. To keep your account safe and secure your location information, Panda recommends update your password regularly and privacy settings.
More tips from Panda Security
- Use a VPN– Using a reliable VPN is one of the best ways to prevent anyone from accessing your exact IP address and location. A VPN works encrypting the data erand redirecting online traffic through an external server.
- Turn off the phone: If you fear a tracking, turning off the phone is the immediate solution to stop communications with networks and GPS data.
- Avoid public Wi-Fi that is not password protected: Hackers commonly use public Wi-Fi to perform cyber attacks. To reduce these risks, avoid public Wi-Fi and connect to password-protected networks.
- Disable social media location tracking: Panda Security recommends disabling location detection.
- Lock the SIM card: The SIM card is unique to the device and can be used to track the location of the phone. An additional security measure to prevent hackers or third parties from locating the device is the SIM card lock. For both Android and iOS systems, you need to know the default PIN (Personal Identification Number) of the SIM card to finalize the operation.
Other tricks to avoid tracking your smartphone
Panda Security also informs us that it is possible to identify a tracking of your device by paying attention to some easily identifiable anomalous clues.
For example, many aspects can cause a rapid battery depletion, from too many applications running to the use of an incompatible charger. However, if you notice a sudden drop in battery life, or if your phone gets hotter, this could be it signals from a hacked phone.
As far as the actions indicated can be carried out, it is necessary to know that the total non-traceability of a device it is impossible in the long run. But, as indicated by Panda Security experts, even simple actions like the regularly check for the presence of malware and like the limit sharing of location they can be very useful.