Informative ways to protect your privacy and data on Android phone

According to researchers, scamsters can easily tap into the information transferred from phones and the internet. They can use this method for accessing personal data. Many Smartphones use Android Operating System, applications on this which interact with Google services and request for authentication token which is an ID card for a particular application. With the help of this token, the user does not need to log in each time to access the system. If the Android phone is connected to the internet, a hacker can easily monitor everything and hack into to steal the token, using which he can get complete access to the user's personal data. So, it becomes mandatory for you to know how you can secure your privacy and data on you Android phone.

Android Based Hhandset

How to protect your privacy on Android phone?

Location aware robots

Location aware robots

Since your smartphone is aware of the location, it has a lot of benefits. You will be able to get local deals, use social check-in services and also use GPS navigation services. All these information are stored in your device for a short period before being removed. Some of them will be sent back to the mothership android and the user can control the location determination. If you do not want to use Google or other third party applications, you can make certain modifications in the 'location and security' of the main system settings. This can vary according to the Android ROM. Two checkboxes can be seen on top of the screen below 'My Location.' These checkboxes are meant for controlling the network and Wi-Fi system and the GPS. Though the network location is less accurate it is much faster.

Your Data backups

Your data backups

A major part of your system settings are supported by the Google Cloud. Though there is no danger associated with it, you have the option to have the necessary backup. This provision was introduced in Android 2.0 and enhanced in 2.2. The data backup is responsible for collecting the background installed applications, system settings, passwords of Wi-Fi and other data relating to other applications. Though the system settings information is not very important, there are other sensitive information regarding your application data.

Google search

Google search

Google search is integrated deeply with Android. You can increase your privacy while using the mobile search. All your searches are usually logged by Google. Similarly, whatever you type into your phone will be included in the history. This is the best place to start. In the Google search option, hit the Menu button and tap on Search settings. Google search settings is the top option here. In the next screen, turn off the location-aware searches. Also, stop previous searches from getting displayed. This will help you to prevent people from seeing your search history.

Permissions

In order to let you know what an application can do on the phone, the Android has system application permissions. You can decide whether you want to install it when it is asking for the location or the ability to send SMS. So check the permissions before you install the application. To increase your privacy use an application called Privacy Blocker. It inventories your applications and reports in the data collected. It can also explain what they are doing with the data. If you are not happy with the application you can uninstall it too.

What to do to keep your Android phone and data secure?

What can I do to keep my phone and data secure

You have to use a PIN or password.

Ensure that you use a PIN to access the home screen.

Update your phone to Android 2.3.4

Google can identify all the handsets that use the older versions. So you may have to wait till your network provider gives and update version for a particular phone. You can however download the upgrade manually from a legitimate source.

Change the default settings

The auto-synchronization feature should be switched off and your phone should forget old open networks. This prevents reconnecting automatically in the future.

Use secure networks

Do not use non-protected or open Wi-Fi networks even if they are more convenient.

Remove non-essential personal data from the phone

If you have a lot of data on your phone remove it immediately. Store only sensitive information you may need often in password-protected website instead of directly using the phone memory.

Consider security software

Though anti-virus software may reduce the speed, you can consider using one of them for protecting your personal data. However, try to use some reputable products.

Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

When you are not using these it is better to turn them off.