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In today’s world, protecting your privacy online is of utmost importance due to the increased attempts of hackers, government surveillance, and big corporations tracking our online activities. Luckily, macOS provides many built-in tools, and with some third-party applications, you can safeguard your personal data effectively. In this article, we provide comprehensive advice on defending your privacy on a Mac with practical steps that are simple to implement.
1. Use a password manager, or at least Safari’s password tools
By using Safari’s built-in password saving feature or a reliable password management app such as 1Password and LastPass, you can generate secure passwords for websites and store them securely with military-grade encryption.
2. Use the privacy settings of Safari
Specify Safari’s settings to control cookies, location services, tracking by websites, and whether websites can access Apple Pay from Safari’s preferences.
3. Use private browsing
Safari’s private browsing mode prevents the browser from storing browsing history, cookies, and autofill data. Incognito is Google Chrome’s equivalent to Safari’s private browsing.
4. Turn off Spotlight features
When using Spotlight, the search feature sends your search queries to Apple, including related usage files. Turn off Spotlight Suggestions under System Preferences to stop this.
5. Use DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo is a search engine that respects privacy by not tracking user data. You can set it as your default search engine in Safari preferences.
6. Keep macOS up to date
Install the latest software updates on your Mac to stay up-to-date with the latest security patches released by Apple.
7. View privacy settings
Check which applications have access to your location, contacts, calendar, and other data on your Mac under System Preferences > Privacy tabs.
8. Make sure Firewall is turned on
In Security & Privacy Settings, enable Firewall to block unauthorized apps and services from accepting incoming connections.
9. Remove Flash Player
Flash Player is seldom used nowadays and it’s more vulnerable to hacking attempts. For better security, uninstall it unless it’s needed.
10. Check your privacy settings on Facebook
Regularly review your Facebook privacy settings to check who has access to your profile, posts, and photos, and control it based on your preference.
Following these steps will help you protect your privacy online and keep your personal data secure on your Mac.
FAQs
1. How do I turn on Firewall on Mac?
To turn on Firewall on Mac, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall, and click on the padlock on the bottom of the dialog box. Do type in your password and click Enable Firewall. Firewall Options allow you to see which applications and services are allowed to accept incoming connections.
2. How do I uninstall Flash Player on Mac?
You can uninstall Flash Player on Mac by downloading the Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller from the Adobe website, then following the instructions to remove it from your system completely.