Apple publishes essential personal (digital) security guide

by Jonny Evans · Published December 18, 2020 · Updated December 18, 2020

Ever get the feeling you’re being watched?

Apple has published what I’d recommend as an essential guide for anyone with a stalky ex- or whose data, identity, or personal safety means they should ensure their Apple devices and data held on those device are secure.

Device and Data Access when Personal Safety is At Risk

The publication is available here. It is 20-pages long and should be required reading for anyone, if I’m honest. The manual is called Device and Data Access when Personal Safety is At Risk and covers a huge amount of ground, including key steps you should take if you’re concerned that someone is accessing information you did not share from your Apple device.

“It includes step-by-step instructions on how to remove someone’s access to information you’ve previously granted: from location data on the Find My app, to meetings you’ve scheduled via Calendar,” Apple explains.

The guide has been welcomed by privacy advocates. As spotted by AppleInsider, Eva Galperin, Director of Cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said:

This manual has a very boring name, but it is the best guide to locking down your Apple devices, especially for survivors of domestic abuse: https://t.co/wIoVN2pphj

— Eva (@evacide) December 18, 2020

Much of the guide is relatively prosaic, including software and hardware updates, and the need to check privacy settings and protect Apple ID.

But the guide also includes helpful suggestions around what to do if you don’t recognize a sign-in location, shared assets such as calendars and the need to delete any third-party apps or configuration profiles you may not recognize.

Essential reading

There are also three checklist guides that should be reviewed by any privacy conscious users:

Checklist: If you want to see if anyone else has access to your device or accounts
Checklist: If you want to stop sharing with someone whom you previously shared with
Checklist: If you want to make sure no one else can see your location.

This is a valuable guide that very much reflects Apple’s commitment to privacy and its ever-growing effort to help you protect it. Get it here.