Digital Hygiene for Privacy

Removal fixes the past. Good habits keep new information from leaking out.

Email

• Use separate email addresses for financial accounts, public correspondence, shopping, and privacy requests.
• Consider an email alias service so you can give each company a unique address and shut it off if it is sold.

Phone numbers

• Use a secondary number for shopping, forms, and anything public. Keep your primary number for family and essential accounts.
• Remove your number from public profiles.

Photos

• Digital photos often carry embedded metadata, including GPS coordinates. Remove location data before sharing, and turn off location tagging in your camera app.
• Check backgrounds for house numbers, street signs, vehicle plates, and unit insignia.

Social media

• Set profiles to private where possible.
• Remove your birthday, hometown, employer, and relationships from public view.
• Review tagged photos and friends lists, which can expose family members.

Accounts

• Use a password manager with unique passwords for every account.
• Turn on two-factor authentication, preferring an authenticator app or security key over text messages.
• Review account recovery options so an attacker cannot reset your password using public information.

Purchases and deliveries

• Use a mailing address or substitute address for deliveries when possible.
• Decline loyalty programs and warranty registrations that ask for more than they need.