The Hidden Spy in Your Pocket: 8 Ways Your Devices Secretly Watch You (Along With Solutions) (4 of 5)

Smart Devices and Assistants

Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant can be super helpful, but you’re exposing yourself to all sorts of risks if you become overdependent on these assistants. They record your commands and even the background noise, and will use this data to track your behavior and preferences.

Solution: Make good use of the mute button and turn off the “always listening” setting when you aren’t using these devices. In addition, make it a habit to delete your voice records on a routine basis.

In-App Purchases and Payment Info

Shopping online? Paying for a subscription service? We can pretty much guarantee these companies are sharing your data with third parties. Some apps will even do a deep dive on your spending habits in order to sell you more of their things.

Solution: Use virtual cards to mask your real credit card number. This will limit the ability of companies to track your purchases. Choose apps that won’t sell your data. And most of all, when choosing payment options, never link your bank account directly, as it is more difficult to dispute a charge versus using a credit card.