Top 4 Tips for Cell Phone Safety

This post was originally written for Military OneSource, a website that provides resources and support for military personnel and their families. The original post can be found here.

According to one study, 89% of service members own a smart phone, and over half report regular social media activity. Our cell phones contain a lot of information about us, so keeping it secure and private from prying eyes is important. Privacy on a smartphone is especially relevant for anyone who may have a spouse or partner who is misusing technology to harass or control them. Here are 4 tips that technology safety experts recommend to keep your device safe and secure.

1.     Lock Down Your Phone

One of the most important things that everyone should do is to put a passcode on their phone. This prevents someone from going through it or installing unwanted apps or malicious software, such as spyware. Most phones allow users to lock their phone with a 4-6-digit code. Pick a code that someone close to you cannot guess and only you know.

Some phones have other passcode lock options, such as a pattern, thumbprint, or facial recognition. Be cautious about allowing others to put into your phone their own thumbprint or facial image. If someone else needed to get into your phone (and you trust them), you can always tell them your 4-6-digit code, and then change it afterwards.

2.     Review Your iCloud & Google Accounts

If you have a smartphone, you likely also have an iCloud (for iPhones) or a Google (for Android) account associated with your phone. These accounts often contain your phone’s back up, and depending on your settings, can also include sensitive information, such as photos, notes, contacts, calendars, and other personal information on your phone.

Unfortunately, these accounts can be accessed not just via the phone but from another phone or computer. This means that anyone who knows the username and password to your iCloud or Google account can log in and see some of the information that’s on your phone. Here are some tips on protecting all that personal data:

• Make sure that only you know the username and password.

• Ensure that the email address associated with the account is secure and no one else can access it.

• Check to see if other devices are connected to your iCloud or Google account and remove those devices if you don’t want it connected.

• Know what information (photos, contacts, notes, etc.) is backed up to your account. (You can choose what information to back up in the phone’s settings.)

3.     Know the Apps on Your Phone

Millions of apps are downloaded each day. Some of these apps use information from your phone to function (for example, Google Maps needs to know your location to provide directions), while other apps may share information on your phone in more malicious and even dangerous ways.

Here are some steps to increase the privacy and security of your phone.

• Review the privacy settings on your phone to know what information is being accessed by which apps.

• Delete apps that you’re not using, especially if they have a lot of permissions to access your data.

• Deny access request for apps that do not need it. For example, a gaming app that doesn’t involve location doesn’t need your location and shouldn’t require it. 

• Be cautious and avoid malware and other malicious apps by doing the following:

  • When your phone prompts you for a software update, say yes. These often include security updates to your phone’s operating system.

  • Don’t download apps outside of the official app stores. On Android phones, you can prevent this from accidentally happening by turning off “allow unknown sources” in the security settings. If you have an iPhone, don’t jailbreak the phone so that you can download apps not in the App Store.

  • If you download apps from the Google Play store, turn on Google Play Protect to scan for malicious software before they’re downloaded. 

  • Download anti-spyware and anti-malware tools. 

4.     Choose When to Connect to Wi-Fi & Bluetooth

While most smartphones now ask you to confirm if you want to connect with a Wi-Fi network or a Bluetooth-enabled device the first time, in most cases, if you’ve connected once, it’ll automatically connect again when you’re within range. Unless it’s a secure Wi-Fi network or it’s a Bluetooth device you trust (for example, you own the other Bluetooth device), consider “forgetting” the network or Bluetooth device after you’re done connecting. You can find this option under settings. Choose when to connect your smartphone, but more importantly, choose when NOT to connect.

Help and Resources

If you are concerned about your cell phone privacy and suspect your spouse or partner may have accessed or tampered with your device, help is available. Whether you are looking for help in talking to your partner about “hitting reset” on the use of technology in your relationship to establish healthy boundaries—or want to report domestic abuse or intimate partner violence facilitated through technology—the military community has your back.

You can:

• Contact your local Family Advocacy Program (Department of Defense program), and an advocate can work with you to develop healthy boundaries in your relationship, create a technology safety plan or help you document abuse involving your smartphone and other devices.

• Understand military reporting options. Know how to report domestic abuse in the military and what happens when you do. To learn more about military reporting options, including how to manage your safety, contact a Family Advocacy Program victim advocate.

• Get help from the civilian community. If you are concerned about your safety and need immediate support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

• Learn more about technology privacy and security. Information for this article was provided by the Safety Net Project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. To learn more about cell phone safety and location strategies, see this guide.

After HopeLine, What Are Survivors’ Options for Free Phones?

As word spreads that Verizon’s HopeLine program, which provided free cell phones to survivors, is ending, many local programs are wondering what options are available.

Probably the best option right now, at least for survivors who are low-income, will be the Lifeline program. Lifeline is managed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and run by individual phone providers. The program offers reduced fee or free phones with data and minutes for eligible low-income individuals. Program materials state that, “To participate in the program, subscribers must either have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in certain assistance programs.”

As for other programs that collect, refurbish and give out free phones to survivors, be cautious when considering partnering with them. Older phones, often donated directly to shelters or through donation drives, often have old batteries. This means that a phone kept hidden in case a survivor needs to call 911 might not work when it’s needed. Ask how they wipe previous owner’s data from the devices, if they install a new battery, and whether the phone can only be used for 911 calls.

In addition, we know that access to a phone can make a difference for survivor beyond the ability to contact emergency services. A smartphone with data, minutes and messaging, can help survivors to locate housing, services, employment, medical appointments, court dates, and can reduce isolation.

The HopeLine program differed from other programs by giving survivors a new phone. The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence summarized the success of the program in announcing it was discontinued, “Over the course of HopeLine’s phone donation program, millions of phones were provided to survivors of domestic violence and tens of millions of dollars were committed to support the important work of domestic violence prevention and awareness.” Survivors currently using HopeLine phones will be able to continue using them through December 31, 2018.

To learn more about Lifeline, visit their page: Lifeline

Creator of StealthGenie Arrested

A couple weeks ago, Hammad Akbar, the creator of StealthGenie, a mobile application that allows someone to spy on another person’s cellphone, was arrested by the FBI. He was arrested on charges of conspiracy, sales of surreptitious interception devices, and advertising a surreptitious interception device. Advertised as a way to keep an eye on cheating spouses, monitor teenage children, and employers, anyone can download and install StealthGenie to monitor all activities on a cell phone.

Other than the computer, the cellphone is one of the most used forms of technology. In fact, according Pew Internet, 44% of Americans sleep with their phones so they don’t miss out on texts or messages. We use our cell phone to organize our lives, search for information (let me google that for you), entertain us, and communicate with others – via text, social media, email, and, sometimes, even a phone call. For many of us, survivors included, our cell phone is our lifeline to help, information, and to other people. Cellphone spyware makes it incredibly easy for abusers and stalkers to monitor the activities and location of survivors through their cell phones.

When abusers are stalking their victims’ phones via spyware, it is 24-7 control and abuse. In addition to constant monitoring, abusers often engage in other types of abuse, such as physical abuse, threats, and emotional abuse. The result is that survivors feel completely isolated and cut off from any avenue of help. Everything they say and everything they do is monitored and controlled by the abuser. The trauma and the fear can be overwhelming.

StealthGenie isn’t the only monitoring product out there. There are many similar products available, including mSpy, MobiStealth, Spy Bubble. Some of these products are advertised under the guise of protecting your vulnerable children or protecting your liability by monitoring your employees. Some come right out and encourage users to buy their products to “catch your cheating spouse.” In reality, abusers and stalkers are buying these products to further terrorize and abuse their victims.

We’re glad that the government is cracking down on products that make it easier for abusers to harm victims. For years, when their phones were being monitored survivors would have to get a new phone – a very expensive step – simply to stay safe. Removing these types of products from the market means one less tool for abusers to use to stalk and harass survivors of domestic violence and stalking.

For more information about cell phone safety, visit our Technology Safety & Privacy toolkit. For more information about NNEDV Safety Net’s advocacy work on cell phone privacy and safety, watch Cindy Southworth, Vice President of NNEDV’s testimony at the Location Privacy Protection Act of 2014 hearing.