Trying to find all the privacy settings for your smartphone or the online services you use often seems like going down a rabbit hole.
I have to remember if I still have an account with that online service. Or did I replace it with something else?
Thankfully, my password manager helps me keep track of online services I use regularly.
But then, there’s the unexpected email message you receive.
Notifying you that your account for an online service has an updated privacy policy.
An online service you couldn’t remember using for the past eight years. Before you started using a password manager.
Which happened to me this week.
I was surprised I still had an account with them. I quickly closed it down.
It reminded me I need to review the privacy policies of the sites I use.
After going through a half-dozen sites in search of privacy policy pages this week, I thought to myself: someone or some organization has to have created a list of common services.
Yes, I was correct. Someone did create a helpful list.
Stay Safe Online: Update Your Privacy Settings
Thanks to the National Cybersecurity Alliance, you can find a list of privacy policy links to update your settings for over 50 popular devices and online services.
From social networks to search engines to photo sharing and music, you’ll find many of the popular sites listed.
Want to check the privacy policy for your Android smartphone?
It’s on the list.
How about the privacy policy for Spotify?
You’ll found it on the list as well.
Using the National Cybersecurity Alliance list, I made my way through dozens of sites, reviewing and updating my privacy policy settings on my accounts.
I still have other services I use that aren’t on their list, which I’ll be checking this week.
Summary
With the National Cybersecurity Alliance privacy policy links for common devices and online services, it was a lot faster for me to review and update privacy policy settings on my accounts.
I liked that they organized their list into categories.
And that they provided an option for anyone to send them links to other services not on their list. And they’ll add it. Cool!
How often do you check and update your privacy settings? Do you set a goal to check them once a month? Share your feedback in the comments.
Hi Deborah, thanks for sharing information on such a crucial subject.
We live in an age where we just can’t take privacy issues lightly. It’s in the best of everyone’s interest to stay updated with any such privacy related modifications and updates.
Prior to your post, I was completely oblivious to this exceptional website that Stay Safe Online is. It really has done a great job of identifying the service providers and later locating the privacy setting section.
In addition, I can totally relate to the point you made about keeping a password manager. My work has often led me into experiencing numerous apps, websites, plugins and what not. I constantly find myself trying out new tools on a regular basis.
Honestly, it’s hard to keep hold of passwords after a period of time. And, I would totally encourage using a password manager. I personally use LastPass but I know there are other options too.
Dashlane, although relatively newer in space, provides a plethora of features and incorporates seamlessly with all major platforms. Plus, they also have plugins for every browser.
Another is Keepass. It’s a traditional desktop application. However, it can be installed as a web browser extension and even mobile app.
Hi Hitesh,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, our online privacy is crucial. I’m a big fan of Stay Safe Online. In addition to their website, they have regular chats and webinars about online privacy. It’s an excellent learning resource!
I’m a LastPass customer as well. It’s one of the few password managers that works well on Chromebooks, without needing to take extra steps.