Smartphones dance a modern technology tango: wires in the air keeping our lives together and apart. Also, they’re digital children, members of our family, our companions, and, in so many senses, life itself. And because they are essentially electronic life, they need energy – lots of energy – to get things done. Of course, that energy needs to be replenished, and usually comes in the form of a little wire plugged into the back of your phone. That wire needs to be disconnected if you don’t want your phone to keep charging, like when it is on its charger overnight. Is it possible that the NSA’s simple, tried and true advice – turn it off and on – is actually true? Power off and power on. Think of it as a reset. Once your phone is inside the bureau you can try also backing up.
And indeed, in the abstract, turning off your smartphone entirely when you don’t need it might seem a meaningless little act: a cyber-equivalent of airplane mode. But as the example of the NSA demonstrates, it’s one of the strongest tools we have to protect ourselves from the kind of rogue digital invasions present in our time. Our age is an age of hacking sophistication that goes far beyond malicious links, reaching into the virtual shadows of ‘zero-click exploits’. That is, fancy new bugs that work around the defences of your phone, start with things such as a missed call, install themselves without your knowledge, and give the invader full access.
The next important question is: with how much frequency one should undertake this digital detox? NSA security experts recommend a weekly shutdown of your smartphone to shield against hacking offensives, but for optimum protection and performance, reset more frequently. Besides strengthening its defence mechanism, the reset cleans the operation system, allowing smoother running of your device.
It might even make you wonder how long your device has managed to keep going without a reboot. Just about any kind of device makes this information readily available by navigating to the system settings. For example, on an Android device, the ‘reboot counter’ can be found by tapping through to ‘Device’ then ‘Status’ to see a tiny number next to the ‘Uptime’ icon that converts to hours and minutes your phone has been running. This is a kind of objective metric of digital hygiene habits.
But, typically, protecting your smartphone’s longevity and safety isn’t something that happens once or twice a year – there’s a whole world of digital security beyond periodic forced shutdowns. There are app permission reviews, regular software updates, and the use of robust cybersecurity solutions that all help to lock down and defend your phone from the ongoing barrage of digital attack.
Because the world of cybersecurity is as diverse as it is fluid, you need to build your own customised digital body armour. That means keeping abreast of new threats and changing up your protection whenever your phone remains, above all else, the trusted companion to your digital life.
Yet understanding the importance of offloading your phone every now and then is just the first step in a fuller digital education process. As we open our eyes to the benefits, risks and opportunities of the digital world, broadening awareness and expertise about our devices and their implications becomes increasingly important. Taking the time to dip into something like the world’s best free digital security guide can open the door to the steps to help occupy the safe side of the digital divide without financial penalty.
So your best bet is to make sure your handset is in good working order, do a factory reset to wipe the personal info, and include as many of the original accessories as you can.
Selling your phone on a reputable site such as Gizmogo will keep your details safe and allow for secure payment.
After you send in your device, Gizmogo tests it and either sells it on as refurbished or recycles its parts.
Indeed, you can. For sure, a cracked screen will slightly diminish the Gizmogo price, but we’ll still give you a pretty fair price for it.
Gizmogo stands out with competitive pricing, a simple selling process, the best in data security, and environmentally friendly recycling.
The small NSA-approved chore of turning off will open the doors to extend your phone’s life as well as protecting it from cyberthreats to your data. So this is only one piece of haptic hygiene, part of a broader haptic-first legislation of digital welfare. Being on guard for threats and opportunistic risks, adopting judicious digital habits, you protect not just your device, but also your digital existence, now and in the future. Next time you are thinking of upgrading your device and selling your current phone, visit Gizmogo to responsibly, securely and safely repurpose or recycle your digital friend.
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