Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Gail: I’m getting ready to buy a new computer.
My friend said I need to buy a Mac because Microsoft designed Windows 10 and Windows 11 to primarily be spy tools.
First of all, is that true? And if it is, why does Microsoft want to spy on people? [Read more…]
Question from Beverly: A man I work with but barely know sent me a nasty picture and a really disturbing comment in an instant message via Facebook Messenger and it really upset me.
I’d like to report him to HR but I’m afraid he’ll delete the picture and message before they have a chance to investigate.
I’d like to take a screenshot of the photo and message but I’m afraid if I do Facebook will notify him that I did it. Will they?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Many Facebook users believe setting the privacy level of their posts and photos to “Friends” will prevent their private/sensitive info from ever being seen by a stranger.
Unfortunately, that isn’t necessarily the case.
While “Friends” is the safest privacy level available (short of “Only Me”), it can’t put a pick-proof lock on the things you post on your Facebook profile.
One recent incident drives this point home quite well…
By now you’re probably aware that Facebook and other popular social media sites are favorite playgrounds for the hackers and scammers of the world.
Unfortunately, those same miscreants are using Facebook’s hugely-popular Messenger app to perpetrate their evil deeds as well.
I’ve written about several dangerous Messenger-related scams and hoaxes in the past, and I’ll continue bringing you the information you need to avoid the new ones that will inevitably pop up in the future.
But today I want to tell you about a valuable resource that Facebook has created that can help you recognize many new scams the first time you see them pop up in your Messenger inbox.
By default, your Windows PC is watching your every move and sending the data it collects about your computer usage back to Microsoft.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of serious issues with this…
First of all, it’s an invasion of your privacy. Does Microsoft really need to know what you use your computer for?