Smartphones: Friend or Foe?

Monday, August 29, 2016 2:41 pm, Posted by Absolute Destruction

At this point in time, you can carry most of the world in your pocket. No, we don’t mean the grains of sand that you haven’t been able to get out since your last trip to the beach. We’re talking about the small, black rectangle you call a smartphone. It’s far from an ordinary phone. You can connect with people all around the world with a swipe of its touchscreen. You can access detailed maps of your upcoming road trip. You can even hook it up with other gadgets in your home, allowing you to lock doors and adjust the temperature of your house remotely.

In many ways, this gadget has made your life easier. From gaming to household management, the apps you’ve downloaded on your phone can simplify your daily routine. But they also create new problems. When you start storing personal information on your smartphone – like your contact details, account numbers, and other preferences – you’re opening up yourself to new security threats. If you’re not careful, you can accidentally release data to individuals and corporations that have no business knowing this information.

The most common way of doing this is by losing your phone or by having it stolen. In Canada, there are no reliable statistics recording the number of lost or stolen gadgets, but the studies released from our neighbours to the south can give you a good idea of how prevalent this issue is. Nearly 3 million Americans had their cellphone stolen in 2013, and this figure will only rise as the number of individuals who own smartphones increases. Even if you aren’t specifically targeted by cellphone thieves, it’s not hard to accidentally misplace these small rectangular gadgets out in the world. That’s why it’s so important to consider our following pieces of advice – just in case you end up losing your phone.

Use passwords Smartphones come equipped with convenient password protection features to secure your privacy, and we suggest you take advantage of the pattern-based or alpha-numeric password functions. It may be annoying to have to input this information every time you check your phone, but trust us – it pales in comparison to the inconvenience of losing a phone that can be opened by anyone with two thumbs. Once these passwords are engaged, only those with the appropriate passkey or pattern can access the information stored on the phone. With one protecting your phone, you’ll ensure no one will be able to look up the personal information stored on your apps or in your files because they won’t be able to get past your locked screen.

Beware of apps Most of us think nothing of downloading the latest app. If we have the sudden need for the latest game and we have the space for it, then it finds its way onto our phones as quickly as our Internet can download it. But you may want to rethink what you’re putting onto your phone before you do it, considering what sort of information it requires. Financial apps will obviously need access to your personal information, but they’re not the only apps to use or store your data. Even seemingly harmless games, messaging services, and photo apps will access your personal information, so it’s important you read their terms and conditions before you allow it permission. Only approve apps from trusted sources.

Think twice before selling With the way smartphones cost nowadays, you may want to sell your old model before you upgrade. While this is a sensible way to augment the financial burden of having the best generation, it can be a cause for alarm. Your phone stores a lot of files. Photographs, Internet history, and app information are kept on its chips. Deleting them and returning the phone to factory settings isn’t enough. No data purge is comprehensive enough for those trained to locate hidden files. Those who search out old phones for sales can easily access old passwords, private files, and financial information.

The only way to guarantee your information is gone for good is through the complete and utter destruction of your phone. It doesn’t matter how good an individual is with gadgets; a shredded motherboard is impossible to read. Our electronic data services ensure that there’s nothing left to find once it passes through our NAID-approved mobile shredders. The blades that make up our shredders will pulverize your smartphone, as well as any other gadget you want destroyed. We take on the GTA’s obsolete computers, CD-ROMs, hard drives, memory sticks, and other electronics with ease, as we can destroy these items as easily as the paper we shred. And just like the paper files that pass through our shredders, we can recycle the leftover parts of your electronics.

A smartphone may open you up to new risks. But – in our opinion – they’re worth it for all that they do to improve the quality of your life. As long as you’re careful with how you use it, you won’t have to worry about the consequences of losing your phone and sharing private information. So create a password for your phone and start reading up on the apps you use before you download them. And don’t forget to call us to set up a shredding appointment for all of your obsolete devices.

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