Take Control of Your Privacy: Securing Your Mobile Device and Communications
If you’ve been watching the news lately, I’m sure you would have seen an uptick in reporting about cybersecurity attacks across Australia. From scam emails to social engineering, cyber threats have never been more prevalent. For that reason, taking steps to protect your personal data is more important than ever.
Our smartphones, emails, and messages hold a vast amount of sensitive information that can be targeted by hackers, corporations, and even governments. While many people assume they have nothing to hide, privacy is about control—ensuring your data remains in your hands, not exploited by third parties. Moreover, it’s about personal security.
In this post, I’ll explore some easy ways to help protect yourself and your information online. It’s not as hard as some might think, and there are practical steps you can take to protect your digital life without compromising convenience.
Protecting Your Smartphone
Smartphones store an enormous amount of personal data, from private messages and emails to banking details and location history. At the same time, big tech companies thrive on tracking user activity, and cybercriminals are always looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. Every app you download, every message you send, and every email you receive has the potential to be intercepted or misused. Fortunately, with the right tools and habits, you can take back control of your privacy. Here’s how to keep your data secure and your digital footprint to a minimum.
Your smartphone is essentially a mini-computer that holds your most sensitive information. Without proper security measures, it’s a potential goldmine for hackers and data-hungry corporations. Taking a few proactive steps can make a world of difference.
- Use a strong authentication method – A long, alphanumeric passcode is far stronger than a short PIN or pattern lock. Biometric authentication, like fingerprint or facial recognition, adds convenience, but it shouldn’t be your sole line of defence. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible, using an authenticator app instead of SMS-based codes for added security.
- Keep your software up to date – Software updates often patch security vulnerabilities that hackers exploit. Enable automatic updates for your operating system and apps, and delete any unused apps that no longer receive updates.
- Limit app permissions – Many apps request excessive access to your device’s microphone, camera, and location. Regularly review and restrict these permissions in your settings, and consider using privacy-focused alternatives if an app seems overly intrusive.
- Encrypt your backups – If your phone is lost or stolen, an encrypted backup ensures your data remains safe. iPhone users should enable iCloud End-to-End Encryption, while Android users can use encrypted local backups or a privacy-friendly cloud service.
- Avoid public Wi-Fi or use a VPN – Public Wi-Fi is a prime target for cybercriminals. If you must use it, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic, keeping your online activities private.
Choosing a Secure Messaging App
Not all messaging apps are created equal when it comes to privacy. While many collect and store metadata about your conversations, Signal is one of the most secure options available.
Signal provides:
- End-to-end encryption (E2EE) – Only you and the recipient can read your messages.
- No metadata logging – Even Signal itself doesn’t store information about who you communicate with or when.
- Open-source security – Independent audits ensure its reliability and transparency.
To make the most of Signal, enable disappearing messages to automatically delete sensitive conversations after a set time, activate registration lock to prevent unauthorised access to your account, and encourage your contacts to use Signal instead of SMS.
Other privacy-focused messaging apps include Threema, which does not require a phone number for registration, and Session, which operates on a decentralised network without central servers.
Using Encrypted Email Services
Email remains one of the most commonly used communication methods, yet it’s also one of the least secure. Many mainstream providers scan messages for advertising purposes and comply with government data requests. Proton Mail, however, prioritises privacy.
What makes Proton Mail different?
- End-to-end encryption – Ensures that only you and the recipient can read your emails.
- Zero-access encryption – Even Proton Mail itself cannot decrypt your messages.
- Swiss privacy laws – Strong legal protections against mass surveillance.
Getting started with Proton Mail is easy. Sign up for a free encrypted email account, use self-destructing emails for messages that should not be stored indefinitely, and enable 2FA for additional account security.
If you’re looking for alternatives, Tutanota offers encrypted mailboxes with no tracking, while Mailfence provides OpenPGP encryption for secure communication.
Additional Privacy Tools
If you’re serious about protecting your digital privacy, a few extra tools can make a significant impact.
- Use a privacy-focused browser – Mainstream browsers track your online activity, but Brave blocks ads and trackers by default, while Firefox with privacy extensions offers customisable security settings.
- Use a password manager – Strong passwords are crucial, but remembering them all is difficult. Bitwarden is an open-source password manager with encrypted storage, while KeePass provides a fully offline, local alternative.
- Consider a privacy-first mobile OS – If you’re an Android user looking for maximum privacy, GrapheneOS offers a hardened, Google-free experience, while CalyxOS balances security with usability.
Law Enforcement, Privacy, and the Backdoor Debate
Governments and law enforcement agencies argue that access to encrypted data is necessary to combat serious crimes, including terrorism, child exploitation, and organised crime. I genuinely believe in this requirement, as ultimately it’s about enforcing our laws and stopping crime. However, the push for backdoors in encryption does present significant concerns for digital privacy and security.
A recent example is Apple’s decision to remove Advanced Data Protection (ADP) from iPhones in the UK rather than comply with a proposed law requiring access for authorities. This highlights a fundamental issue—introducing backdoors doesn’t just enable law enforcement; it also creates vulnerabilities that could be exploited by bad actors. Once a backdoor exists, it cannot be limited to just ‘the good guys’—hackers, oppressive governments, and cybercriminals can also find and abuse it.
The Salt Typhoon attacks further underscore why strong end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is essential. These large-scale cyberattacks demonstrated how even well-protected networks can be compromised, leading to mass data breaches. If encryption were weakened through government-mandated backdoors, such attacks would be even more devastating, leaving businesses and individuals exposed to malicious actors.
While preventing crime is essential, undermining encryption weakens security for everyone, from businesses to everyday users. It’s a complex debate with no easy answers, but one thing remains clear: strong encryption is vital for personal security, protecting not just privacy but also critical systems and sensitive data worldwide.