 People have started using artificial intelligence, but there are reasons to be cautious, starting with your personal information. Artificial intelligence startup WotNot, which helps companies create chatbots for their websites & apps, left data typed into their customers' chatbots out in the open, ripe for being heisted. Exposed information included passport info, medical histories, employment records, and more. Click here to check out the sordid details.
The exposed info could be used by hackers to stage more believable scams, or for identity theft. It makes us wonder how well other companies are shepherding the data that AI is siphoning up. Even well-resourced companies like Microsoft are creating systems that leave customer data vulnerable while implementing AI that records everything that happens on your screen. Just in case your personal data is leaked, one of the most meaningful steps you can take to prevent identity theft is to freeze your credit. Click here to check out our post with instructions on how to check and freeze your credit. Bonus tip as we approach tax season: you can lock down your social security number to prevent it from being used to file a fraudulent tax return by creating an Identity Protection PIN. Click here for instructions from the IRS.  With autumn comes a plethora of software updates.
Apple has released MacOS Sequoia and iOS 18 / iPadOS 18. We recommend that most folks wait until January to upgrade so that Apple has time to iron out as many glitches as possible. Apple ended support for MacOS Monterey, and folks using the internet on that system should consider upgrading their Mac for maximum security. 3rd party web browsers like Chrome and Firefox continue to receive updates, so at a minimum folks who choose to stay on Monterey should use one of those web browsers instead of Safari. Microsoft has released Office 2024, the buy-once version of Word/Excel/Powerpoint that is an alternative to the subscription Office 365 service.  Reliable info about where to pickup drinking water at no charge is available directly from the city of Asheville's website. Click the button below and then click on "Relief Assistance and Resources." If you are seeking resources and live in a different location or have a different question, you are welcome to send us an email. Now that the storm has passed and recovery is underway, there is a lot of information out there, and not all of it is reliable. Here are some sources that have been steadfast.
Helene Response & Rebuild: - WNC Resource Guide Buncombe Resource List Buncombe Updates from City Council & NC Legislature (click on the highlighted "PDF daily newsletter")  We have reconnected with the Asheville Poverty Initiative and 12 Baskets Cafe since the storm, and are back to offering tech support and teaching on Tuesdays from 11am-1pm, at 12 Baskets, at 610 Haywood Road. Join us in this currency free cafe for tech support & teaching provided by Jensen Gelfond, a delicious hot meal, and a box of groceries if you need one.
12 Baskets offers no-cost diner lunches and groceries from 11am-1pm every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Click here to donate and support the mission of 12 Baskets Cafe and the Asheville Poverty Initiative.  In this time of acute water need, mother nature has come to the rescue of many people looking for water, especially for flushing toilets. Our own backyard stream on the West Asheville Hill has provided ample water for many uses during this municipal water outage.
Plus, with the aid of an advanced water filter that removes bacteria, viruses and impurities, it's been easier and safer to wash dishes, and has even provided a potable drinking water option in a pinch. It's best to consume the highest quality drinking water you have access to, which is bottled water for most WNC residents right now, but our little stream has done quite the job at providing water during this tough time. With easy access just a few feet away, it's one of the factors that has allowed us to return to the business of supporting you with your technology. Is there a stream near you that could support your need for water? It's a question worth asking.  Have you ever called someone and received the dreaded "this voicemail box is full" message? Here are some tips to make sure that your own phone's voicemail service works as smoothly as possible.
1. How to check your voicemail: While many smartphone offer a "visual voicemail" app for easy access, you can also check your voicemail by calling your own phone number from your phone. You can even access your voicemail from someone else's phone by calling your phone number and then pressing either star (*) or hash (#) when you hear your voicemail greeting. Enter your voicemail password when prompted, and you're in (If you don't know your voicemail password, contact your cellular carrier to reset it). 2. Delete voicemail messages regularly. Voicemail boxes only hold a few messages before they get full and stop allowing callers to leave a message. 3. If your voicemail isn't working properly, first call into your voicemail box and make sure there aren't any messages that need to be deleted. As a last resort, you can contact your cellular carrier and ask them to reset your voicemail box. While there are alternatives to voicemail such as sending text messages, the truth is that not everyone uses texting, and leaving a voicemail continues to be a communication method that many people rely on. Have questions about using your smartphone to communicate? We love teaching people how to use their phones more effectively.  The internet's worldwide reliability has been shaky lately. It's not only the recent problems with Microsoft Windows computers caused by a flaky antivirus update from the CrowdStrike company. Natural phenomenon like solar flares can also cause computers to temporarily lose internet access.
Regardless of the cause, it's a good idea to have offline access to your critical files so that when the internet goes down, you can still access the information you need. Fortunately, the major cloud platforms such as iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and others all offer options for offline access. So, whether you're struck by an outage, or simply want to access a hiking map when you're outside of cell range, there are solutions. We're always happy to help ensure that the right information is at your fingertips when you need it most.  We've noticed that some companies are simply better at customer service than others. Here's a space for them.
Kudos Apple provides straightforward support for customers (even those who don't pay for an extended warranty) via their AppleCare support line. While there's never a guarantee of getting great support from a company as large as Apple, they typically do a good job of answering basic questions, providing tutorials, and offering options for replacing faulty equipment. Yahoo, surprisingly, is another shoutout. They are one of the only consumer-oriented tech companies that provides easy access to account recovery over the phone phone when clients are locked out of their email accounts. A straightforward process of verifying your identity with a snapshot of government ID can help folks regain access to their email accounts (make sure you're talking to Yahoo and not an imposter before doing this. We can help). Yahoo has been through the wringer over the years, getting acquired by various companies, but at least they provide this service. They charge a small fee for people who don’t use their premium subscription in order to go through the account recovery process, but for clients who were otherwise locked out, it was well worth it. Hall of Infamy In today's world of corporate cost cutting, many companies are unfortunately asleep at the wheel or even actively hostile against their customers. Microsoft's software, especially Outlook, is failure prone and frequently requires troubleshooting. Unfortunately, reaching out to Microsoft for help is a difficult process, requiring lots of hoop jumping to get to a real person, with phone support not always a possibility. If you find a glitch with Microsoft's software, a fix often means waiting weeks, months, or longer while the issue ping pongs around Microsoft's vast corporate structure. The complexity of Microsoft's products also leads to security problems, as recently reported on (not to mention the recent "CrowdStrike" issue with Windows computers that led to airports around the world grounding their flights). It's just one thing after another for this ungainly company, and it's unlikely to get better anytime soon. Facebook deserves special mention for having no customer service at all. We've found it impossible to talk to a real person at Facebook. If you get locked out of your Facebook account, Facebook may ask you to submit your sensitive identity documents, but they typically never respond, failing to actually help people get their accounts back. If there were ever an argument to made for regulating technology companies and requiring them to offer real person-to-person tech support for account recovery, Facebook would be the prime exhibit. Love them or hate them, using a computer or smart phone usually means having to work with some of these companies. We've got the experience and patience to make things as easy as possible on you if you need to cross that bridge, or help you find an alternative. Don't hesitate to reach out to us if you need support.  Corporations continue to suffer data breaches and leaks of customer data. Recently we have seen Ticketmaster, Rite Aid, and ATT suffer intrusions.
What's a concerned individual to do? 1. Use a password manager. If a company you do business with is hacked, you can should change your password and check to see if you used that same password on any other websites. Want to be proactive? Most password managers offer to check your current password list to see whether you are reusing any passwords, or if any of your current passwords are already known by hackers. In 1Password, it's called Watchtower. Using a password manager also means it's easy to randomize your passwords so that if one site gets hacked, it will not affect your other logins. 2. Be wary of scams. They could come via phone call, email, or text message. If you're not sure what to do, we can check any email or text message for authenticity. You can forward suspicious messages to us (remote support via email or text message starts at $50). Ultimately, if a service you use reaches out and you're not sure whether it's legitimate, login to your account directly at the company's website by typing their website into your web browser. Don't click the link in a message. |
AuthorJensen Gelfond is the Founder of Asheville Digital Lifestyle. He helps people use their technology more effectively and joyfully. Categories
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