Privacy Notes

26 entries

September 2026

  1. Data broker opt-out problems: reappearing profiles, aliases and family exposure

    Data broker opt-out problems diagnosed through signs, evidence, likely causes, safe containment, corrective requests, verification tests, and escalation records.

    Rules5 min
  2. Separating work, shopping, and personal browsing in a shared laptop case

    Fictional shared laptop case separating work, shopping, and personal browsing through device accounts, profiles, sync, permissions, extensions, and cleanup.

    Features5 min
  3. Browser privacy problems: persistent sign-ins, tracking, risky extensions and fingerprinting

    Browser privacy problems traced through symptoms, checks, fixes, and limits for sessions, tracking, extensions, saved secrets, permissions, and fingerprints.

    Rules5 min
  4. PIPEDA and Quebec Privacy Law: What Canadian Users Must Know

    PIPEDA Quebec privacy law splits Canadian users into two privacy regimes. Learn federal and Quebec disclosure duties, records, and penalties.

    Guides5 min
  5. Cloud storage privacy under California and Illinois law compared

    Cloud storage privacy state laws differ sharply: California CCPA rights versus Illinois BIPA and breach rules, plus provider retention policies.

    Guides11 min
  6. What PIPEDA and the Privacy Commissioner mean for Canadian PR data

    PIPEDA Privacy Commissioner PR: how Canadian teams handle consent, breach reporting, retention and OPC enforcement when campaign data is at stake.

    Guides13 min
  7. Account email, password, passkey, multifactor, recovery, session, device, and alert checklist

    Account security checklist for email, passwords, passkeys, MFA, backup authenticators, recovery, sessions, trusted devices, connected apps, and alerts.

    Maintenance4 min
  8. How to audit mobile app permissions and background data access

    Audit mobile app permissions app by app and by category, then tighten location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos, and background data access.

    Guides5 min
  9. Browser cookies, site data, permissions, history, autofill, extensions, profiles, and update checklist

    Browser privacy checklist for versions, profiles, sync, cookies, storage, permissions, history, autofill, downloads, extensions, tests, and exceptions.

    Maintenance5 min
  10. Browser privacy guide: cookies, storage, fingerprinting, permissions, history, extensions, and profiles

    A browser privacy guide to cookies, site storage, fingerprinting, permissions, history, autofill, extensions, and profiles, with checks you can run.

    Guides6 min
  11. Browser tracking methods compared: cookies, local storage, fingerprinting and pixels

    Browser storage and tracking methods compared by source, persistence, transmission, cross-site reach, deletion, common uses, privacy limits, and control options.

    Reviews5 min
  12. Data broker privacy guide: collection, profiles, people search, marketing lists, risk, opt-outs, and monitoring

    How data brokers build profiles from public records and purchases, which opt-outs actually remove a listing, and how to document and monitor each request.

    Guides8 min
  13. Data broker search, identity proof, opt-out, confirmation, suppression, monitoring, and record checklist

    Work a broker opt-out like a case file: proof of identity under NIST concepts, a numbered request record, California DROP routing, and 30/90-day checks.

    Maintenance7 min
  14. Data brokers, people-search sites, credit bureaus, ad-tech platforms, public records, and identity services compared

    Data services compared by source, product, customer, decision use, visibility, correction rights, opt-outs, deletion, identity proof, and evidence limits.

    Reviews8 min
  15. How to find and document data broker opt-out requests

    Find your listings on people-search sites, choose the broker's own removal path, prove only what is asked, and keep a dated record of every request.

    Guides6 min
  16. How to harden a high-value online account without locking yourself out

    Harden a high-value account by proving recovery control, adding a tested backup method, and clearing stale sessions before you change anything.

    Guides6 min
  17. How to map where your personal data goes online

    Trace one activity from the form you fill in to the copies left in vendors, backups and connected accounts, and test what deletion actually removes.

    Guides5 min
  18. Mobile app camera, microphone, photos, contacts, location, Bluetooth, notifications, and tracking checklist

    Mobile app privacy checklist for source, version, camera, microphone, photos, contacts, location, nearby devices, notifications, background access, and removal.

    Maintenance5 min
  19. Mobile app privacy guide: permissions, location, contacts, photos, microphones, identifiers, and background access

    Mobile app privacy guide covering permissions, location, contacts, photos, microphones, identifiers, and background access, plus what to revoke and when.

    Guides6 min
  20. Authentication methods compared: password managers, passkeys, security keys and SMS codes

    Six authentication methods compared on what proves access, phishing resistance, device dependence, backup and recovery, and account lockout risk.

    Reviews4 min
  21. Personal data collection, purpose, access, sharing, retention, security, and deletion checklist

    Personal data lifecycle checklist covering purpose, collection, notice, access, vendors, retention, security, deletion, requests, incidents, and evidence.

    Maintenance5 min
  22. Personal data privacy guide: collection, use, sharing, retention, security, deletion, and accountability

    A personal data privacy guide that follows information from collection through sharing, retention, security and deletion, with the checks that prove each step.

    Guides6 min
  23. Personal data, sensitive data, metadata, inferred data, anonymized data, and pseudonymous data compared

    Personal data categories compared by identifiability, sensitivity, source, inference, reversibility, legal status, control needs, and practical privacy risk.

    Reviews4 min
  24. Precise location, approximate location, foreground access, background access, geotags, and location history compared

    Mobile location modes compared by precision, timing, source, persistence, sharing, common uses, privacy exposure, device controls, account records, and deletion.

    Reviews4 min
  25. Private account security guide: passwords, passkeys, multifactor authentication, recovery, sessions, and alerts

    A private account security guide covers passwords, passkeys, MFA, recovery codes, active sessions, login alerts, and lockout planning for safer accounts.

    Guides6 min
  26. How to review and tighten browser privacy settings

    A browser privacy review that audits permissions, cookies, extensions and sync, then tests the sites you rely on before trusting the changes.

    Guides5 min

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