Digital Security 101

While you can pay for an ad-free YouTube experience with YouTube Premium, third-party extensions and privacy-focused browsers are often cheaper and better.

Ads and pop-ups aren’t just annoying; they can also put your online privacy and safety at risk — luckily you can block them on almost every platform.

Google Chrome includes built-in tools to help block some ads and pop-ups — but a third-party ad blocker is a better bet for an ad-free browsing experience.

Hackers use malware to infect your Mac, spy on you, or hold your sensitive files hostage — but with a few steps, you can clear your Mac of most infections.

While you can delete (or deactivate) your Facebook account at any time, Meta may hold onto your data for up to another six months afterward.

While you can’t be hacked simply by responding to a text message, it makes you vulnerable to more serious scams and threats that could put you in danger.

You can manually check for viruses on your Mac using built-in tools — or use antivirus software that will dig deeper and root out the worst Mac viruses.

Using antivirus software, removing suspicious apps, and checking your app permissions, cache, and accounts can help you quickly shut down hackers.