The Balance Between Security and Convenience: A Guide to iPhone Safety

When it comes to protecting your iPhone, there is often a delicate balance between security and convenience. While location services can be useful for finding you and others in an emergency, they can also be used to track and control people's movements without their consent. Similarly, online backups can save your data, but they can also expose it to extra legal seizure from servers.

Notifications and biometrics are features that can help you get things done more quickly, but they can also let others gain access to your phone and its contents faster than you might like. For example, if you're at home, you may want to keep your iPhone set to maximum convenience, so you can easily take photos and videos or answer calls. However, this can make it easier for a bad actor to target you or others who are standing up against abuse.

If you're putting yourself in harm's way, whether as a press representative, healthcare worker, or advocate for civil liberties, then you should absolutely lock down your iPhone and take extra precautions. This may mean getting a second burner phone that is locked down even more tightly than yours. An older iPhone or iPhone SE can work well for this purpose, especially if you have the time or money to make the investment.

To protect your data in extreme situations, start by going into Settings > Touch ID or Face ID and passcode. From there, go to Change Passcode and choose a six-digit numeric code or better yet, a custom alphanumeric code. Four-digit passcodes are just too easy for bad actors to break into. You can learn how to choose a really good passcode in the description.

Next, turn off all your biometrics by going to Settings > Biometrics & Security and disabling Touch ID or Face ID entirely. This will make it much more difficult for someone to hold you down, restrain you, knock you out, wait for you to fall asleep, and then place their finger on the touch ID sensor or hold the iPhone in front of your face while your eyes are open or startling. By doing this, you'll set your iPhone to completely erase all data after 10 failed passcode attempts.

It's also a good idea to turn off Allow Access When Locked for everything, including camera, GPS, and other services that can be used to track you. You can do this by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and turning off Significant Locations. This will help prevent your iPhone from telling you it needs to leave certain places or locations.

In addition to these general tips, there are a few specific features on the iPhone that can be turned off if you don't want them. For example, you can turn off live photos by launching the camera app and tapping the live photos button. If you're concerned about having your data stored on your phone, you can do so until such time as you absolutely need it again.

Finally, there are a few additional features on the iPhone that you may want to consider disabling if you're in a situation where your safety and security are at risk. For example, you can toggle photo capture outside the frame by going to Settings > Camera and turning off the feature. This will allow you to control exactly what data you capture when you take photos.

The Importance of Balancing Security and Convenience

When it comes to protecting your iPhone, there is often a balance between security and convenience that needs to be struck. While some features can make it easier for bad actors to target you or others who are standing up against abuse, other features can help keep you safe by providing additional layers of protection.

The key is to understand what features on your iPhone can be turned off or disabled if you don't need them. By doing so, you can strike a balance between security and convenience that works for you and keeps you safe. It's also important to remember that there are no sponsors on this video - the goal is simply to provide helpful tips and information to those who need it.

By listening to others, hearing their stories, and helping them in any way that we can, we can make a difference in our communities and keep ourselves safe from harm.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Out of the box,your iPhone triesto strike a balancebetween security and safety,privacy, and convenience.If you have location on,especially for social appsand photos,they can be used to find youand others in the case of emergencybut they can also be usedto place youand others in situations of tyranny.Videos can help documentand prosecute abusersbut can also be used to identifyand target peoplestanding up to abuse.Online backups can save your dataeven if your iPhone is takenor damagedbut can also expose your datato extra legal seizure from servers.Notifications and biometricscan help you get things doneso much fasterbut can also let othersget to your things faster.If you're at home,you probably want to keepyour iPhone setto maximum convenience.Also, if you're a bad actorof any kind,leave it that way as well,please and thank you.But if you're putting yourselfin harm's way,if you're on the front linesas press or healthcare,or to protect the rights, civil libertiesand simple dignityof your family, community,and country,then you should absolutelylock your iPhone downand hard.In situations where you really fearfor your security,the best thing to dois to get a second burner phoneand lock that down.An older iPhoneor iPhone SE works greatif you have the timeor money.Either way,here's how to protectyour data in the extreme.Go into settings, touch IDor face IDand passcode.Go down to Change Passcode,press Passcode Options.Choose a six-digit numeric codeor better yeta custom alphanumeric code.Four digit pass codesare just far too easyfor a bad actor to break into.I'll put a link in the descriptionfor how to choosea really good passcodeor password.Then turn off all your biometrics.That way someonecan't hold you down,restrain you,knock you out,wait for you to fall asleepand then place your fingeron the touch ID sensoror hold the iPhonein front of your facewhile your eyes are openor you're startlingto opening your eyes,then scroll downand choose erase data.That'll set it upto completely erase your iPhoneafter 10 failed passcode attempts.It sounds scarybut it's extremely difficultto do by accidenteven if you have kidswho play with your phone.But it makes it even more difficultfor anyone else to tryto get around your passcode.While you're there,turn off allow access when lockedfor everything.Widgets, notification center,control center, Siri,reply with message, everything.That way people can't just glanceor shoulder surf,or take your phoneand see who's messaging youor what apps you're usingor do things like put your iPhoneinto airplane modeso you can't trace it later.Then jump into Siriand searchand turn off Allow Siri When Locked.That way, no one can use voiceto access your dataor use your appswhile your iPhone is still locked.Basically no passcode, no joy.You'll still be ableto take photosand videosand answer calls quicklyand easily,but everything elsewill require you unlockingyour iPhone first.Go to settings, messagesand turn off Send as SMS.iMessage is end to end encrypted,text messages are not.So you want to preventa private iMessagefrom unintentionally going outover an insecure text message channelwhere your carrieror anyone who exploitsor orders them can read itby error, by accidentfor any reason.If you need to communicatewith people who don't have iPhonesor iMessage, download, install,and get everyone on Signal.Not Facebook Messenger,not WhatsApp, Signal.I know it's a hassle,but it's secure.Go to settings, Apple ID, iCloudand turn off backupsfor messages, photos,any other backupsyou want to prevent.For most people,most of the timelosing messages from loved onesor photos of familyis a far bigger riskand worse outcomethan someone hacking themor having them subjectto extra legal seizure.That's why iCloud backup is fail safe,not fail secure.But if you're in a situationwhere you absolutely positivelycannot risk anyone else,getting your data from a serverwhich is just a fancy wordfor someone else's computer,shut all the online offand backup locallyand with encryption via iTunesor the Finder app.I'll leave a linkfor how to do thatin the description as well.If at any point you thinkyou're an imminent danger,squeeze your iPhonewith your handover the powerand volume buttons.That puts it into SOS mode.Technically, it puts your iPhoneinto an unauthorized state,into pre-board where you haveto enter your passcodeor password to decrypt the deviceand regain access to Springboardwhich is your appsand the data contained within them.Also, if for any reasonyou've left biometrics onit prevents that from workinguntil you've authenticated as well.If you keep squeezing,it'll also sound an audio alarmand start calling(alarm rings)emergency services for you.If that's helpful to youunder whatever circumstancesyou find yourselfin the moment,just keep squeezing.Otherwise, let go,and your iPhone is as lockedas it can get.Go into settings,privacy, location servicesand turn off everything you canespecially camera.If you don't want your photos geotagged.In other words,stamped with the coordinatesof where they were taken,it can be extremely usefulfor finding people,but can also be misusedto place people.While you're therego to location services,system services,significant locations,and shut that down tooif you want to.When your iPhone tells youto leave now for homeor for workor to pick up the kidsor for an appointment,it's because it's learnedwhere and whenyou typically go over timethe data is end-to-end encryptedand Apple can't read it.But if you hate even the ideaof having that data storedon your phone,turn it offuntil such a timeas you absolutely need it again.Launch the camera appand tap the live photos buttonto turn off live photosif you don't want your photosalso capturing a few seconds of videoand audio as well.You might totally want thatbut if you don't,turn it off.Also, if you have an iPhone 11,go to settings, cameraand toggle photo captureoutside the frame.That's a feature thatlets you capturean ultra wide anglein addition to a wide angle,and it could be super useful.But if you wanna controlexactly the datathat you capture,when you wanna capture it,end it.If you're at home,if you're using your iPhoneto keep in touchwith those you love,to organize,to share information,to post to Twitterand Facebookand TikTok so that people can seeand hear what's happeningand not have to take any punditor politicianor giant news corp's word for it,then you probablywanna balance your securityand convenience, your privacyand your safety.But if you're out there,if your safetyand security are on the line,lock things downas needed when needed.Last thing,there is no sponsor on this video.It just wouldn't feel appropriate.Instead, I want to give this timeto people who need it the most.Listen to them,hear them, help them.The more uncomfortableit makes you feel,the more you need to feel it.Thank you for watchingand for all you're doingfor all of us.\n"