Tip Sheets
Five steps to protect your privacy ahead of Supreme Court cell phone tracking case
November 28, 2017
Media Contact
Should police have to get a search warrant to access cell site location information that is routinely collected and stored by wireless companies? Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the issue. The case, Carpenter v. United States, is likely to have major consequences for law enforcement and personal privacy.
Eliza Bettinger
Digital Humanities Librarian
Eliza Bettinger, the digital humanities librarian at Cornell University, says most of us have no idea of the extent to which our data, physical movements, internet browsing history and even our conversations are being collected by third parties. She recommends these five steps to make your information more secure.
Bettinger says:
- “Disable location tracking on your devices and on social media sites using the Settings tab.
- “Install a tracking blocker, such as Privacy Badger or uBlock Origin, to stop third-party trackers from monitoring where you go and what you’re looking at on the web.
- “Use a password manager such as LastPass, 1Password or KeyPassX to generate – and frequently change – your passwords.
- “Download the Signal App on your phone to encrypt text messages and phone calls to keep your communications secure.
- “Install HTTPS Everywhere, a browser extension that encrypts your communication with many major websites to make your browsing more secure.”
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