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If you’ve ever wondered how security experts handle their phones to ensure their personal data is secure, you might have guessed correctly about one thing: they do away with certain apps that some of us still have kicking around on our phones. Some of the apps that are convenient or entertaining for us simply aren’t the best when it comes to protecting our privacy. This is the one app security experts say you need to delete TODAY.
Who wouldn’t want to have a virtual assistant taking care of your minor tasks? Unfortunately, while Google Assistant works with Alexa and can be used to do everything from call up recipes to find directions and phone numbers, it is also slowly collecting a ton of data on you.
Security expert Dr. Leif-Nissen Lundbæk, co-founder and CEO of XAIN, told Reader’s Digest: “This is one of the most pervasive applications in existence. It collects not only behavioral data, but voice searches, and it can record them at any point in time, meaning any time you talk about something, these voice recordings can be tied directly to advertising on Google.”
Experts advise either never enabling Google Assistant or disabling it altogether. To turn off Google Assistant click More > Settings > Google Assistant > then select Assistant tab, choose your device, and toggle off.
Wondering what other apps security experts shy away from? High up on their lists you’ll find apps that aren’t purchased via the Apple App store or Google Play, Pokémon Go, and — no shock — Facebook Messenger, which doesn’t provide end-to-end encryption by default, meaning: your messages are not secure.
