iOS (Jailbroken): One of the quirks of the iPhone is that apps can access your personal information, including your contacts, without you knowing about it. If this bothers you, ContactPrivacy is a tweak that sends an alert when apps start digging through your address book. More »
iOS: Anyone can pick up your phone and read your text messages. It’s also not that difficult for someone to install spy software. If you want to keep your messages private, Black SMS is an app that provides a very simple method for doing so. More »
Dear Lifehacker, I understand that signing up for “free” services like Gmail and Facebook requires that I put my trust in a company and provide them with quite a bit of private personal data. I know that data is supposed to be kept private, but with the amount of information and web activity that’s tracked every day I’m started to worry. How paranoid should I be, and is there any way I can ensure my data isn’t being used in ways I don’t want? Thanks, Paranoid About Privacy More »
News over the weekend that Australia will introduce body scanners at international airports is bound to stir up the same sort of controversy as the US introduction of the technology. Speaking as a frequent traveller, I don’t give a damn. More »
A sobering reminder that Twitter is an entirely public forum and that travel and visa rules aren’t a good subject for jokes: two British tourists were refused entry to the US after making facetious comments on Twitter. More »
The internet can bring you a lot of joy, but it can also turn into a world of pain the moment you make one stupid mistake. Perhaps you’ve been feeding the trolls, using “password” as your password, or selling your soul for access to a “free” web app. Your dumb mistakes can come back to bite you in the arse if you aren’t careful. Here’s how you can save yourself from yourself online. More »
Google Alerts can be a great tool for monitoring any search term you care about — including your own name and information. This means you can use Google Alerts to regularly check if a thief is using your info anywhere online. More »
The internet is great, but it’s complex and it can be easy to make some dumb mistakes even when you’re smart enough to catch them most of the time. We want to know what common but mistakes you’ve made, have seen others make or worry about making. More »
Google has said it plans to consolidate its existing privacy policies into one mammoth central policy, as well as simplifying its terms of service. Should you be concerned? More »
Yet another entry in the “if it sounds too good to be true, it’s a con” files: the Accommodation Association of Australia is warning people to ignore telemarketing calls offering discount hotel dining packages. If you sign up, your credit card could get hit with thousands of dollars in unauthorised charges. More »
