3 Tools to Help You Manage Your Digital Life
I recently published a list of cybersecurity resources from TechCrunch and Google. If you haven’t seen them, it’s worth checking out.
Technology continues to fill our lives, which means we need to find ways to manage it. I’m not talking about taking digital vacations, although establishing boundaries is a good idea. When we use technology, we open ourselves up to risk. Even when we do all of the right things, it’s possible we will have personal information exposed. In today’s society, it could make sense to evaluate whether or not you need some tools to manage your digital life.
For example, here are three tools that I’ve added to my life.
Password Managers
This is a nice read from Consumer Reports on “Everything You Need to Know About Password Managers”.
And this article from CNET will give you some suggestions for “The Best Password Managers of 2019”. Personally, Mr. Bartender and I use LastPass and have been very happy with their product. They offer a family plan so you can make sure that a designated person can access your information in case of an emergency.
While it’s not a exactly a password manager, I also recently purchased a Google Titan Security Key. This device provides a super-duper level of two-factor authentication to your accounts. I must admit, I’m still trying to figure it out, but I believe it is worth experimenting with.
Identity Theft Protection Services
It’s sad to say that in today’s world we have to think about this…but we have to think about this. Identity Theft is an issue. A big issue. According to a study published on ZDNet, around 15 million people in the U.S. have been impacted by fraud. To safeguard yourself, you have two options: you can do this yourself OR you can subscribe to a service. A third option would be waiting for a company to provide you with the service for free after your information has been compromised. (Please detect the cynicism in my last sentence.) I found this article on Nerdwallet that could help you decide “Do You Need Identity Theft Protection Services?”.
CNET also put together a directory of ID monitoring services in their article “The Best identity Theft Monitoring Services for 2019”.
Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network (VPN) is designed to protect your private web traffic from being snooped by outside entities. The purpose isn’t because someone is doing something sinister. But let’s be real, it’s kinda creepy to know that somebody could be snooping around in my web traffic even if it’s nothing more than cute lemur pictures, shoe sales, and Randy Rainbow videos.
If using a VPN interests you, this article from CNET on the “Best VPN Services of 2019” might be helpful.
I really don’t like being cynical about the use of technology, but I do think it’s important to be realistic. Technology isn’t going away any time soon. We have to be responsible technology users which means finding tools to help us manage our digital lives.
Do you need to do these things? Maybe not. Personally, I’m finding this is one of those topics where I regularly ask myself, “Can I do it? Yep. Is this the best use of my time? Not really.” Maybe I need to find some tools to help.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Hollywood, FL
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