After you call 911, apps to help keep you safe!

Webnotes by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice LLC. Content also featured on WBTV's "Protecting Your Cyberturf" segment featuring Kristen Miranda and Theresa Payton.

What to do after you call 911!  Or, if it’s not a 911 but you still need help.

In the event of a real emergency, nothing should replace calling 911 first.  But sometimes events don’t require 911 or you need assistance beyond 911 and now there’s lots of apps for that.  

When you are discussing a crime in progress or a life or death situation, always call 911 first.  But sometimes, you need help that’s not 911 worthy or sometimes after you call 911 you still need to get in touch with loved ones.  Well, if your smart phone is charged up, you have apps at your fingertips to help you navigate these emergencies.  Cyber expert, Theresa Payton, covers just a few of these amazing apps that could make a huge difference during an emergency or even avoiding an emergency.

Tips:

1.  Age Appropriate:  think about who you would need to connect with.  If it involves small children, think through whether or not they can respond to these apps in an event of an emergency.

2.  Practice Makes Perfect:  once you download these apps, try them out periodically so you and your family get used to them.

3.  Read Reviews:  Before buying these or other apps, read the user reviews to determine if these apps are right for you.

There are many apps out there but here are a few examples that you may find of interest:

MY AIRCOVER

My aircover is a Family Location Tracker.  This is more of a proactive tool to help ward off emergencies or to use in emergencies.  They have a free version of the app available for a limited time.  With this app you can proactively track and see the location of your loved ones.

You can send out and receive an Emergency Alert.  You can also set up “safe regions” and if loved ones enter / exit the region get an automated notification.  It even gives you “safe place” access such as the nearest hospital, fire department or police department.

GUARDLY

During an emergency, you can connect with loved ones quickly.  It also allows you to send photos to loved ones of the situation.  The app also includes a sound blasting siren to either scare an attacker or alert others in the area.  Roughly $1.99 and $19.99 for a monthly subscription.

MY FORCE

The app is free but there is a monthly subscription fee.  A quick tap on the app will automatically make a call for you when you sense danger or an emergency.  The app also offers a silent alarm that will start recording whatever the phone picks up and will dial 911 for you.  It will also alert any contacts you set up in advance.   

HOLLABACK

The Hollaback! app allows you to report inappropriate behavior.  You can text or send pictures to report incidents that will show up on a map. Reports go to local authorities and officials who will review whether or not there are hot spots for issues in their town.  It’s free but not available yet in all locations so check their map first before downloading.

WORD OF THE WEEK:  PARKING PANDA.

Headed to DC, Boston or San Fran?  Parking Panda will help you find and reserve parking.  They also offer discounts and you pre pay for your spot.  You can use the mobile app or reserve from your computer.  They are adding new cities every day so sign up to request your city and they’ll alert you when they have your home town on the map!

https://www.parkingpanda.com

LINKS TO APPS:

Parking Panda

MY AIRCOVER

Guardly

MyForce

Hollaback

Worried about privacy? Update your phone to iOS6!

Webnotes by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice LLC. Content also featured on WBTV's "Protecting Your Cyberturf" segment featuring Theresa Payton and Kristen Miranda

Move to the iOS 6 on that smart phone now...and you get a bonus 200 secret features.  

We have told you before that your smart phone, every model, tells important clues about you and often there wasn’t much you could do about it.  Well Apple heard your concerns loud and clear and they have made important changes to the new operating system.  

Cyber expert, Theresa Payton, reminds us all the time that we MUST update our operating systems and browsers frequently.  She says it is our best protection against the bad guys.  But she was also excited to hear that Apple has done some work focused on your privacy.  And, she’ll also tell us about some of the hidden fun features in iOS6 for the iPhone, iPad, and iTouch that you might not have known about.  

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PRIVACY CHANGES:

1.  PRIVACY:  Apple has leaped ahead of other phones by giving YOU more control over your private and personal data 

a.  You get a better understnading of how apps share or look at your data

b.  You can get specific about “do not track”

Take 2 Steps in 10 minutes or less!

1.  go the new Privacy tab and choose which apps get access to your phone's location data, address book, calendar, personal reminders and Bluetooth.

2.  Limit Ad Tracking: enable this feature and you are letting mobile apps know “do not track”

2.  UDID no longer passed to vendors:  They still do “device identification” but they create a unique number for a vendor that is tied to your device.  They also create a different one for apps to use and for online ads.  It’s not perfect anonymity but offers another layer of protection between you and the outside world tracking you at the UDID!

SECRET FEATURES - CHECK THEM OUT!

-- Shh!  Don’t tell the kids but you can check their Browsing history easier!

Go to Safari, press for a few seconds on the “back button” to display history! 

-- No excuses!  Easy updates now available!  You don’t need your app store password anymore to update your apps!   

-- When you can’t take that phone call - you have options!. When a call comes that you cannot take, tap on the phone icon in the lower right hand corner.  You will see several options!

-- VIP list:  Are there a few people in your life that you absolutely cannot afford to miss their calls or messages?  Set up a VIP list and their emails, texts, and messages will glide by on your screen and will also have a star next to them.  VIP mail will go into a folder so you can check those first.

-- Worried about privacy so photo sharing on Facebook got you down?  No more!  You have a private photo sharing option.  Select a photo and tap the share button.  File it in a “photo stream” and then designate who you want to see it via email.  This photo stream will stay set up for you and them so you can post pictures to it as often as you’d like!

WORD OF THE WEEK:

BAZAART:  This is a great app that lets Pinterest users create an interactive catalog out of their pins.  This is great for bloggers, photographers, chefs, artists, designers - really anyone that wants to create an interactive catalog for friends, family, or clients!

More on iOS6:

http://www.apple.com/ios/ 

More on Bazaart:

http://www.bazaart.me 

Email Scam: Western Union 9/25

Teen are hiding their texts from their parents

Webnotes by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC. Content also covered on WBTV's Protecting Your Cyberturf segment featuring Theresa Payton and Kristen Miranda

We have talked to you before about setting ground rules for the teens in your life that have cell phones.  Rules such as “Digital is Forever”, “Don’t talk to strangers”, and  “Would your Grandmom be okay with that?” Many of you also like to check your kids’ cell phones and / or have worked with the cell phone companies to install monitoring plans.  Well guess what?  It looks like kids have found a way around that.  

There are several new apps on the market that allow you to hide texts and even phone calls.  Some are free or low cost and scary easy to use.  Some of the app names will give it away but others like, “Brightkite” or “Blacklist” might not be so obvious.  Cyber expert, Theresa Payton, explains what these apps do and what you can do about it at home.

The statistics of how teens get into trouble on their phones is astounding.  According to a Pew Internet study:

Almost 1 in 5 teens have used their cell phone to send sexually-suggestive images of themselves

Older teens are much more likely to send and receive “sexts”

3 KEY RULES FOR PARENTS:
1.  NO DIGITAL ZONE:  Have your teens turn in their devices before they head to bed.  They are more likely to get wrapped up in a texting session if they are alone in their room.

2.  CELL PHONE REVIEW:  Occasionally have your kids show you their phone and ask them to log into the apps that you aren’t sure what they are.  

3.  TALK, TALK, TALK:  The number one best rule to have is to talk to your kids!  Remind them that digital is forever and that they should not text inappropriate messages or photos - under any circumstances.

WORD OF THE WEEK:
BIOSwimmer:  This is a new security project underway to help the U.S. better protect its underwater vulnerabilities.  Using a technique called biomimetics, it will look somewhat like a tuna and the robot will be able to swim and maneuver like a tuna while using it’s own computer for navigation.  It will use the digital world to communicate back a security report back to its home base reporting any suspicious activities.

RESOURCES:

Pew Research Center Study:
http://www.pewinternet.org/Search.aspx?q=sexting


There are too many of these apps that hide texts or calls to list them all here.  
You can see these types of apps here:

https://play.google.com/store/search?q=hide+text+messages+and+calls+with+black+list&c=apps

Here's a short list that you may want to look for on your kids’ phones are:

• HMT (Hide my text) let's you change the themes and use decoy icons.  
• 420 Hide Text/Call Log: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.secondphoneapps.SecondPhoneTextInv&hl=en , or you can pick a red purse icon out at:  http://www.freenew.net/android/com-secondphoneapps-secondphonetextpurlic/583047.htm
• Hide my SMS:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hide-my-sms/id527055824?mt=8 
• Great graphic here....Hidden Text:  http://itunes.apple.com/kz/app/hidden-text/id472626521?mt=8
• Text plus:  http://www.textplus.com
• Blacklist

Covering your tracks with Chrome

Webnotes by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC. Content also covered on WBTV's Protecting Your Cyberturf Segment featuring Theresa Payton and Kristen Miranda, Wednesdays 5:10pm


It seems like every time you turn around, someone is tracking you online.  Whether it’s your phone, your tablet, or even your web browser.  We have given you tips in the past to help cover your digital tracks but now it’s just become a little easier!   


That’s right!  You may remember that we told you that internet browser giants such as Microsoft and Google promised to help consumers out with “do not track” options and Google has just announced that they have added this feature to their browsers.  You had this feature, kind of...sort of...today but you had to know how to set various privacy settings.  Now it’s just easier to do.  Cyber expert, Theresa Payton, explains.



WHAT IS “Do not track”?:
Do Not Track is the feature that allows you to say, in simple “yes” or “no” terms how you feel about being tracked.

HOW DOES IT WORK:
The Do Not Track feature will send what’s called an HTTP header, this is a short message, to all the websites that you visit with a message that says "it's NOT OK to track me" or, "it's OK to track me".

WILL ALL WEBSITES RECOGNIZE THIS FEATURE?
Not yet so it’s still very important to make sure you set your privacy and security settings and just be aware of who is tracking you and who is no

THREE QUICK TRACKING THE TRACKERS TIPS:
It’s not always easy to get a big picture on who is tracking you and what they do with the information.  Their privacy policies will give you a little clue but they are often hard to read.  Your best bet is to insure you pay attention to:
1.  YOUR BROWSER SETTINGS:  Check those for privacy and security
2.  LOCATION SETTINGS:  Say “no”.  Most will work unless they need to use a GPS to help answer your question
3.  WATCH WHERE YOU CLICK:  Those ads on trusted sites love to follow you around so avoid clicking on them.  

RESOURCES:
This tool at Microsoft tells you if you have do not track set up and it looks at all browsers, not just Microsoft!
http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/browser/donottrack/default.html

You can try these following tools to see who is tracking you online:

Chrome:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ckdcpbflcbeillmamogkpmdhnbeggfja

Safari explanation of their do not track feature:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5275?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Firefox Browsers:  
a.  Abine lets you opt out of targeted advertising and tells you if a site is tracking you. www.getabine.com

b.  Collusion is an add on that works with the Mozilla   
Mozilla.org/collusion

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Check out this article by Fortalice leader, Theresa Payton, written in honor of October being National Cyber Security Awareness month!
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/national-cyber-security-awareness-month-is-coming-up-here-are-some-tips/

From Back to School to Holiday Shopping - Picking Out the Best Gadgets for Kids

Content written by Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC. Also featured in an article for "Wee Ones" Magazine.

Many of you have sent your older kids off to school and might have little ones in pre school.  You just finished buying school supplies but do not put away your checkbooks and credit cards yet, it is time to start planning out your holiday gift giving.

We know you do not have a lot of time on your hands so we have done some pre-holiday shopping for you and have recommendations on digital fun for the family along with tips to keep you and your kids safe while you work and play online.

Tablet Apps that Entertain and Are Educational:

Five Little Monkeys:  Good for toddlers through 5.  This is a book collection and uses the popular "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed" song.  Books can be played in autoplay.  Visually appealing and keeps the attention of even the most fussy of the wee ones.  This will run you about $12.99

Disney's "Where's My Water?"  Good for ages 7-10.  A puzzle game that will make them laugh and use their brain.  Main character is Swampy the Alligator, a Disney original character.  Over 100 puzzles to solve.    There is a free version and prices vary depending upon device.

Doodlecast for Kids  Good for ages 3-5.  Your child draws and the app turns it into a story.  The story it creates based on their drawing can be shared with anyone with a quick upload to email or YouTube.   Approximately $1.99.

Device Protection:

If the kids hold your device as much or more than you do, consider the Woogie.  The Woogie is going to bring smiles and protection to your device.  Think stuffed animal meets protective case.  They make them for smart phones and it comes with a built in speaker.  Perfect for entertaining the kids with music, games, or movies.  Also comes with a spot to plug in headphones.  Different models run about $19.99

Devices "on the go" can be easy to lose, especially the smaller ones. If you are going to invest in an iPod nano or your kid already has one, consider pairing it with the Slapband.  It's a great way to turn it into a bracelet and/or functioning watch.  I have personally enjoyed one on a long run because you get a timer and music on the go and you are hands free.  Depending upon the model, roughly $25.

School or Just for Fun Art projects

There are lots of free fabulous apps out there that you can use to delight children from 0-100+.  If you want to do something more lasting, you may want to consider purchasing the Crayola Color Studio HD.  It comes with a stylus which can become a paintbrush, pen, crayon or marker all with just one touch!  Approximately $30.

Math Apps

Whether your little ones loves math or is struggling to keep up, apps are here to help.  For the pre schoolers, try Counting Caterpillar.   For ages 5-7 try MathBlaster Online.  For ages 9-12, try CoolMath.  (Note: prices vary depending upon your device). 

Group or Family Fun - It's Game Time!

Many of us grew up playing board games but nobody wants to huddle more than 2 people around today's digital devices.  Try a product called The GameChanger.  It allows you to plug your iPad into it's board system so you get the beauty of digital and the space of a board game for a group.  Approximately $60.

7 Tips in 7 Minutes to Staying Safer Online:

1.  Never purchase apps or toys online from sites that you do not know and beware of fakes and counterfeits

2.  Password protect all your devices 

3.  Teach your children never to click on pop ups

4.  Set browser settings to the tightest security and parental controls possible if your children will be using the devices

5.  Show your children how to use Google Safe Search tool for all internet searches that they do - Google will do their best to shield your kids from sites you don't want them to accidentally be exposed to

6.  Do not give your child's information when registering the gifts, use your own 

7.  Tell your children to never type in their name, age, gender, address, birth date or where they go to school on any site...even if it says they'll get a free gift