We’ve all seen the tell-tale signs–a brief “on” light blink on your laptop built-in camera, that uncanny moment those Facebook ads use keywords you just spoke about 10 minutes ago, phone batteries dying out a bit faster than you think they should… Technically the verdict is still out whether or not your devices are being used by big tech companies to spy on you; but why even take the risk?

It’s common knowledge that security of your personal devices is very important to protecting your privacy, so here’s a couple tips to follow in order to help “harden” your life from unwanted prying eyes and ears.

Tape over those laptop cameras when you aren’t explicitly using them!
There were a slew of verified cases over the years that showed this to be a valid concern. But if that wasn’t enough–even James Comey the former FBI director made the warning to the populace! If the head of the FBI thinks this is a concern–so should you.

Remove camera and microphone permissions from smartphone apps.
Many (most) of us blindly accept those terms of service popups and “allow this app permission to” requests when we are installing something new–but we really shouldn’t. To help reduce some of the security concern caused by these “expanded permissions” take some time this weekend to go through your smartphone settings and remove these permissions across the board.

Use a VPN for not only your home computer, but your laptops and smartphones!
Virtual Private Networks are all the rage in the tech scene nowadays, and for good reason. They work to protect your data while accessing the internet from being visible to public Wi-Fi, prying eyes, and can even help bypass regional restrictions to the net. What many people don’t quite know yet is that you can use these same services across mobile devices like smartphones as well! There are many to choose from, pick one up and protect your data.

Stop using social media! (Or at least reduce your online footprint)
Sure, you probably won’t jump at the opportunity to delete Facebook because you read a random tech blog, but you should take time to limit the visibility of your posts to just close friends and family. Keep your friend-lists clean of anyone you don’t personally know. And be sure to keep any personal information off of the net–those “Likes” just aren’t worth it! Or, accept that everything you post is forever and can never be deleted. There are, of course, plenty of ways for Big Brother to keep his eyes and ears on you–but there are steps we can all take to give him heck. Though it may be impossible to make our lives completely secure given how technology has evolved over the years, we can and should take steps to at least make it more difficult for criminals and advertising agencies to make a buck off of us without our consent.

<code>What We’ve Been Up To</code>

• OPG just completed a new payment integration and other functional modifications with one of our long standing clients to allow for an increase and ease of daily business practices.
• Completing of a brand new build for a testing platform to simplify their entire business process while adding a number of new exams to the platform.
• Worked with existing client to simplify the interactions of their platform with iPads and worked to optimize their load times and wireless connections.
• Added new functionality to existing reporting platform while optimizing the reporting to better assist the client with continued user growth.
• Working with a number of clients to “polish” their platforms to perform optimally