Are Facebook and Alexa really listening? 6 common tech myths debunked
We once believed that Macs would never get a virus, closing apps would save battery life, and private mode was really private.
For the record, switching to incognito
in your browser probably doesn’t do what you think. Tap or click for six
practical reasons to use it, from keeping your search autofill clean to
shopping without spoiling the surprise.
And I’m sorry to break it to you, but like a Windows
PC, your Mac is certainly at risk. Tap or click for five free downloads
that will keep your Mac or PC secure. This recommendation is one you
can’t afford to ignore.
Call me your digital life myth-buster with six misconceptions you can stop believing.
1. You can’t be tracked if GPS is off
Even if you turn off location tracking on your phone,
you can still be tracked. Smartphones continuously check in with cell
phone towers. Using this data, the proximity of your phone can be easily
calculated.
But in the words of those late-night television commercials, “Wait, there’s more!”
A few years ago, researchers at Princeton University
released an app called PinMe. They proved that a phone’s location could
be pinpointed by only using a phone’s sensors. The app collected compass
details from the phone’s gyroscope, air pressure readings from the
phone’s barometer, and speed along with the direction of travel from the
phone’s accelerometer. No additional tech was needed to see the phone’s
precise location on a map.
To prevent tracking, turn the phone off. If that’s unrealistic, tap or click here for insider settings to limit tracking.
Close up man hands using smart phone battery low charged battery screen(Photo: juststock, Getty Images/iStockphoto) 2. Let your phone’s battery drop to zero before recharging it
Years ago, nickel-cadmium batteries suffered from the
dreaded memory effect. The batteries would remember previous cycles and
would not recharge fully. So the modus operandi was to make sure you
drained the battery down to zero before recharging it.
That’s not the case anymore with today’s lithium-ion
batteries. These batteries degrade over time. A full charge that you
have on your smartphone now does not last as long was when your phone
was new.
You can check your iPhone’s battery. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health.
Phone charging: Don't make this mistake
Myth vs. fact: Unplugging devices when you leave home
Unfortunately, you can’t monitor battery health in the
same way in Android 10. To see other battery stats, including usage, go
to Settings > Battery. Tap the three-dot menu to see Battery usage.
You can track your battery life with a third-party app, like AccuBattery.
Is your phone always on empty? Tap or click for a
trick to see what’s killing your Android battery. For you iPhone users,
tap or click here to bring new life to your phone.
3. Facebook listens to your conversations
Here’s a creepy scene that’s being reported more and
more often: Immediately after a private, personal conversation, an
online ad pops up on your computer or smartphone for the very thing you
were discussing. Just a coincidence?
From a technical standpoint, Facebook and many other
apps can have full access to your smartphone’s microphone, even if the
app is not running. So yes, snooping can easily be done. But Big Tech
companies, especially Facebook, deny doing it.
If you use an iPhone, go to Settings
> Facebook > Settings in the sub-menu. Slide the Microphone switch
to the left so it turns from green to white. That turns it off.
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