Jacob Baytelman

Building software since 1998

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How to protect your data


Everything you have online, all your contacts, emails, photos, etc, can be stolen or destroyed. Point. No discussions about that. Even if your password is good enough. Want more details? Have a look at http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/11/ff-mat-honan-password-hacker.

Long ago, when we were smaller and computers were bigger, we were taught to make backups. Regularly. And store them securely. On 2 separate different storages at least. Just have 2 external hard drives, put there all your stuff periodically, including photos and contacts. Keep one at home and the other one at your parents. Or in the office. As simple as that.

Today we are told that online storages are perfect. They might be, but what if someone accesses your account and deletes all you have there? Isn't it worth making an alternative copy of all your important data out of Dropbox, Gmail, Linkedin and iCloud?

By the way, Gmail and Linkedin provide you with almost 1 click option to export your data, though sometimes it's hard to find where this magic link is. So here are some hints:
Linkedin contacts: http://www.linkedin.com/addressBookExport
Linkedin profile: go to Profile -> View Profile, near the Edit button press on the arrow and choose "Export to PDF".
Gmail contacts: Contacts -> More -> Export.
Google account export everything: https://www.google.com/settings/exportdata



J.Baytelman 2012