Is your Android spying on you? 5 tweaks to protect yourself

Smartphones have become an essential part of everyday life, but they were not created to fully protect our privacy. In some cases, even seemingly common smartphone features can be used to steal personal data.

Malicious apps can also record messages, calls, real-time location and even activate the camera and microphone without you noticing.

In addition, there is an even more common case: technology companies collect browsing, search and application usage data to create advertising profiles.

How could your cell phone be being spied on?
Cell phones emit constant signals that can be used to track your location. This way, Google, operators and even governments can locate where you are using GPS, internal sensors and other information.

Many apps also take advantage of excessive permissions; A seemingly harmless app can send your contact, gallery or location data to third parties if you give permission. Most of the time, this happens without you noticing.

Check out five ways your cell phone could be being spied on:

- Spy apps (stalkerware): software secretly installed on your cell phone that can record your messages, real-time location, browsing history and even activate the camera.
- Improper permissions: legitimate or malicious applications may request excessive permissions, allowing access to data and cell phone resources beyond what is necessary.
- Location tracking: cell phone operators and internet services can monitor GPS and even Wi-Fi networks.
- Personalized ads: Google and other companies Advertising uses information about the websites you visit and the apps you use to create a profile of your interests.
- Public Wi-Fi networks: open or insecure connections can be a target for attackers.

5 settings to prevent your cell phone from being spied on
To strengthen your privacy, some simple settings can help reduce the amount of information collected.

Next, check out five privacy settings on Android that help limit tracking of your location, control apps' access to your data, reduce Google's collection of information, and more.

1. Activate Play Protect and avoid apps from outside the Play Store
Malicious apps can steal data, record activities, display scams or monitor the device. Therefore, it is worth keeping Play Protect active and avoiding installing APKs from unknown sources.

How to do it on Android:

- Open the Play Store and click on your profile photo;
- Enter "Play Protect" and select the settings icon;

Play Protect is a native Android function. - Credits: Reproduction/Google
- Activate "Check apps with Play Protect" and that's it.

2. Review which apps have access to your data
One way to keep your device safe is to check the permissions of all installed apps. Many apps ask for access to functions they don't need, such as camera, microphone and contacts.

From your own smartphone's settings, you can select which permissions each application can have.

Follow the step by step below to review permissions:

- Open the device's "Settings" and select "Applications";
- Now select "Manage permissions";
- Now, you can manage which apps have permissions to access your calendar, location, contacts and more;
- Ready, disable the permissions you want.

3. Reduce Google Tracking
Many Google services record your activities to provide personalized features. Despite this, it is recommended to disable these histories.

This prevents Google from automatically saving records of searches, sites visited and routes, limiting tracking to a minimum.

To reduce Google tracking, simply follow these instructions:

- On Android, open "Settings" and tap "Google";
- Click "Manage your Google Account", then "Data and privacy";

Google collects a lot of information from your device, but you can manage these permissions. - Credits: Reproduction/Google
- Select each type of history, such as "Web and App Activity" and "Timeline", and tap Disable.

4. Turn off personalized ads
Many companies use information about the websites you visit and the apps you use to show you more personalized ads. Although it's not exactly a form of spying, it involves constantly collecting data about your habits.

That's why it's worth disabling ad personalization on Android. This will make it more difficult for companies to collect and use your data.

Understand how to disable personalized advertisements:

- Open "Settings" and tap "Google";
- Click "Manage your Google Account" and then "Data and privacy";
- Under "Personalized ads", select "My ads center";
- Click "Opt out" and the ad personalization will be paused.

5. Use a VPN
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be one of the best choices for users looking for more privacy. That's because a VPN creates an encrypted "tunnel" between your phone and a remote server, scrambling your information.

Furthermore, VPN hides your real IP address and location as it shows browsing as if it came from the remote server. This way, all your traffic is anonymous and protected, making it much more difficult to "spy" on your online activities.

There are several well-known companies that offer VPN services, such as NordVPN, Surfshark and even digital security companies, such as Norton and Bitdefender. Most of these options are paid, but some also offer free plans, such as Proton VPN.

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Source: CNN