So, you’ve made sure you and your family are safe during an emergency. Now, the next step is making sure your computers and data are safe! Hurricane Prep, Technology We also took your calls on the air, answering your questions! We love talking to you!
Free! Free! But is it? (5/18/19 Part 1)
Its been said, “if you’re not paying for it, you’re the product.” Its also been said, “the first one is free!” How Free Is it? When things are free or even cheap, is there a price you’re not seeing up front? How are they making their money? What’s the real cost? We talk about that this hour! https://www.forbes.com/sites/sujanpatel/2015/04/29/7-examples-of-freemium-products-done-right/#59c610646f15 https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/mobile-privacy-apps NOTE: Due to a tech glitch, part of the show is missing. Hey, they even happen to us, sometimes!
Lock boxes and Gambling… uhm… (5/18/19 Part 2)
So, your friend plays a game. And in that game there are these boxes that show up. And they’re just a dollar (or so) to open. You could win some cool stuff if you’re lucky! No big deal, right? Loot! Well, it turns out they’re big money. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/05/senator-hawley-announces-bill-banning-loot-boxes-pay-to-win-mechanics/ https://massivelyop.com/2018/09/17/international-regulators-co-sign-declaration-to-investigate-lockboxes-and-skin-gambling/ https://www.polygon.com/2019/5/7/18534431/fortnite-rare-default-skins-bullying-harassment
Facebook! Passwords! Hacking! Fer cryin’ out loud… (3/23/19 Part 1)
Facebook is the biggest social network in the world at the moment. Which, of course, makes it a HUGE target for the bad guys. While lots of them have been content to run scams, steal identities, and such? Well, some still like to steal things. Another Password Hack… So… yeah. Change your password. Also, if you’re wanting links to the news stories today? Microsoft Defender coming to Mac: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/03/microsoft-ships-anti-virus-for-macos-as-windows-defender-becomes-microsoft-defender/ Internet Freedom survey: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/freedom-net-2018/rise-digital-authoritarianism For Password changing goodness? Here are the promised links! xkcd Password: https://www.xkcd.com/936/ PC Magazine’s Best Password Managers for 2019: https://www.pcmag.com/roundup/300318/the-best-password-managers PC Magazine’s Best Authentication apps for 2018: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3225913/what-is-two-factor-authentication-and-which-2fa-apps-are-best.html How to change your password: https://www.facebook.com/help/213395615347144?helpref=topq How to use 2-Factor Authentication with Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/148233965247823?helpref=search&sr=1&query=2%20factor%20authentication
Phishing has nothing to do with rock band… (3/23/19 Part 2)
Nom nom nom… Phishing is a way of trying to steal account information. Phishers attempt to get logins, passwords, payment information, and more. And its not nearly as hard as you’d hope! Phishing 101! So, we talk about it today, and what you can do to protect yourself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-online-scams-how-to-protect-against-phishing-scams.html https://www.consumerreports.org/money/how-to-protect-yourself-from-phishing/ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204759 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4033787/windows-protect-yourself-from-phishing Information on SHAKEN/STIR from the news: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0381-how-does-robocall-work-infographic https://www.fcc.gov/call-authentication https://www.zdnet.com/article/at-t-comcast-successfully-test-shakenstir-protocol-for-fighting-robocalls/
Surfing the Internet 101! (3/9/19 Part 1)
If you’re here, you probably typed AlertInternetSurfer.com! Well, why did we name our website that? Because that’s what we want you to be! So, in our ongoing 101 series we go into Surfing The Internet! Computers 101 – Safe Surfin’ Tired of Internet Explorer? Edge? Safari? Try out a new browser today! Mozilla Firefox – https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Google Chrome – https://www.google.com/chrome Opera Browser – https://www.opera.com TOR Browser – https://www.torproject.org/ Vivaldi Browser – https://vivaldi.com/
Updates! Keep’em Running! (3/9/19 Part 2)
When you’ve got a car, be it brand new, used, or a hand-me-down, one of the first things you learn about is the humble oil change. Later, its new tires. Brakes. There’s a bit of upkeep to keeping your car running! Computers 101 – Updating! Your computer and devices are the same. The operating system plus programs and even hardware get updates from time to time. Some are fixing problems, some improve performance, others add features. But, how do you do it?
Hoaxes! Urban Legends! Tabloid Trash and Conspiracies! (3/2/19 Part 1)
Hoaxes! Urban legends! Tabloid trash and conspiracies! They’re about as common online as cat videos. So today we’re talking about them because, as the Charles Spurgeon said: “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Internet Myths and Fact Checking – Part 1 What can we do about it? Need some fact checking sites and other resources? Snopes.com PolitiFact.com https://www.newsguardtech.com/ https://www.wired.com/story/momo-hoax-viral-scares-advice/ https://www.npr.org/2019/03/02/699663319/the-latest-internet-hoax-momo-challenge
Defending against Internet Hoaxes! (3/2/19 Part 2)
So, there are hoaxes. What to do? How do you defend against them? We talk about how you can bop them on the nose! Internet Myths and Fact-Checking – Part 2 For more fun stuff to challenge your brain with: https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/ https://yourbias.is/ https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles https://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/31/definitive-guide-to-denver-international-airport-conspiracy-theories/
Searching 101: Pros and Cons of Online Search! (2/16/19 Part 1)
Searching for things online is a great thing to do, but… its got issues. Can you trust random searches? Are searches objective? Why do you see what you see? Searching – Both Online and Offline Great links for you! Eli Parsons’ Ted Talk about Filter Bubbles: https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles DuckDuckGo, LD’s favorite search engine! https://duckduckgo.com/ StartPage, formerly known as IxQuick. https://www.startpage.com/ NewsGuard, a fantastic plugin for many internet browsers. https://www.newsguardtech.com/ And don’t forget… where’s your local library? http://www.lib-web.org/united-states/public-libraries/