It’s a brand new year, and the topic on a lot of peoples’ minds is New Year’s resolutions. Now is also a great time to make some tech resolutions for 2018. Here’s a few simple suggestions to get you started.

Tighten your digital circle

Use the privacy options on social media to control who you’re sharing with. You can use features such as lists and groups to share with specific people, or exclude others. Use the settings to pick and choose who sees the content you share.

Guidance on privacy settings from popular platforms 

Facebook  instagramYoutube SnapchatTwitter

Back up for the future

If you lose your device, hard drive or access to your cloud account you could lose your files, so it’s important to always have them backed up more than one way. This January, take some time to back up your special holiday season snaps and anything else you want to keep. Store important files on an external hard drive and using online storage.

Delete digital clutter

Have a quick scan through your emails and unsubscribe from anything you don’t find relevant anymore. It’s also a great time to go through your apps, organise them and uninstall any that you haven’t used in a while.

Up your security game

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an extra layer of security for your online accounts. It’s an extra step on top of your password that makes it much harder for others to access your accounts. You should have it on any account you can. Find out more about two-factor authentication, or get started with information from these organisations:

Info on two-factor authentication from popular platforms:

Facebook instagram SnapchatTwitter

 

More information

Contact Netsafe

If you need online safety help or advice, you can contact us seven days a week. Our service is free and confidential.

  • Email help@netsafe.org.nz
  • Call us toll free on 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723)
  • Online report form at netsafe.org.nz/report

Our helpline is open from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm on weekends.