How to run a 5-minute privacy check on your phone

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We've all got a lot of sensitive information on our phones — texts to loved ones, personal banking information, passwords, and family photos. You wouldn't want anyone snooping around, whether it's an app developer on the other side of the world or the person sitting behind you at the coffee shop.

Take five minutes to run this privacy check, then give yourself a round of applause for a job well done.

Check your permissions

Apps require permission access, and some of the most important ones are your phone's location, camera, and microphone information. Any apps that are given access to these should be ones from trusted sources. To verify:

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Lock down everything

Using a lock screen on your device is a good way to keep others from accessing your information, and everyone should have one. Whether it's your personal identification number, fingerprint recognition, or facial recognition, having any form of lock is still better than none at all.

• Set this up via
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You may also want your phone to lock as soon as possible when you're not using it.

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Keep out strangers

The quick transfer feature built into iOS and Android is really convenient for sharing something with a friend or family member. But what if you don't want strangers to start sending you unwanted photos, videos, and other files?

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Browse the web

Head over to your phone's web browser and say hello to instant tracking - unless you take action to stop it.

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It's all pretty painless, right? Now, do a favor for your friends and family and share this important information with them using the following icons.

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