Have you noticed this icon on your taskbar? It is a new feature from Microsoft called Copilot. Copilot is an Artificial Intelligence “helper” built in to help you do more than you could imagine. You must sign into Microsoft Edge (use your Microsoft account). You can ask it to design a vacation for you or tell you how to take care of your plants. Have fun with it.
Tip of the month
Your personal information on the internet
Security online is important. There are a few things you can do to minimize the information about you that is “out there”. Here are a couple of tips:
Delete old email addresses. If you have an address that you don’t use anymore, not logging in doesn’t remove all of the data from the internet. If you have anything in the emails – photos, important attachments, back those up. When you are sure you have all you need, close the account.
You don’t have to accept cookies on a site, and if offered, click do NOT track.
You can use the “private” mode for your browser. For Chrome, click the 3 vertical dots at the top right and choose New incognito Window. If you prefer Microsoft’s Edge browser, click the 3 horizontal dots at the top right and choose New InPrivate Window.
There are data brokers who work behind the scenes and collect data every time you search, interact with social media, etc… These companies then SELL the information. Any number of companies, political parties, financial institutions are interested in buying the data. There are a couple of companies that can help you remove your data if you don’t want to try and manually do it yourself. AVG BreachGuard is one, and Incogni is another.