How to Spring Clean Your Digital Clutter
Deactivate unused accounts. Remember that account you made to place an order for movie tickets? Yeah, you know, the one you forgot you even created? Go back in the memory bank and scour around for those unused accounts. If you haven't logged into the account in more than a year, you should consider deactivating.
Review your apps. Take some time and browse through your downloaded apps. Notice a few that are going unused? It's time to get rid of them. But don't just delete the app; fully close your account. Remember that although an account is deactivated, the company who owns the app may still hold onto your inactive data. Learn more about what the company collects by reviewing its privacy policy.
Unsubscribe from email lists. We're all guilty of adding our names to email lists, especially when it comes to receiving coupons and promotions. But if you no longer purchase from that company, you should unsubscribe from its emails. Tip: remember to deactivate your account before unsubscribing from their list!
Strengthen your passwords. Although this can be cumbersome, refresh and strengthen your passwords if you haven't done so already. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts since this could provide hackers with access to your other profiles. Consider two-factor authentication, fingerprint recognition or facial recognition.
Expunge all personal information from obsolete devices. Do you have old devices lying around the house like cell phones, computers and tablets? Turn on the device and evaluate if there is personal or private information that you'd like to preserve. Once that information is transferred, follow prompts to restore your device to factory settings, thereby deleting all personal information. Afterwards, consider finding outlets for electronic device recycling.
Backup old files and photos. Safely backup your important files to an external hard drive or a secure cloud platform.
