Day 1

Prep Day: Set Your Intentions and Take Note of Accounts and Devices

Day 1: Set your intentions and take note of accounts and devices

Welcome to the first day of my 30 day security challenge. This challenge was created by me to help you get control over your security and privacy online. I'm Shannon Morse and I've been teaching viewers about privacy and security for a decade. I've been advocating for better consumer security and privacy for years, but one of the biggest problems I've noticed is that really getting control over your privacy online takes a long time do to. It's honestly kinda overwhelming because there's so much you have to consider, and some of it requires a bit of habit formi

If you try to do it all at once, you'll burn out and won't have any interest in privatizing your content or making your accounts safer. But first, who is this for? If you start going through the checklist saying "I already know all of this", then obviously, this checklist isn't for you. If you watch the first few videos and go "But you didn't cover XYZ! OMG!" Relax, I could make each episode an hour long but I didn't, specifically because I want these videos to reach the folks who need it, I don't want them to be so long they're overwhelming. This series is a PRIMER for security, not a complete semester of EVERYTHING you can do. You can take this info and build on it in the future.

So I created this 30 day security challenge to break down some of the easiest concepts for anyone looking to make their online accounts more secure and still easy to manage. While convenience usually topples security when it comes to a mass market, I bet by the end of this challenge you'll be not only more secure than your friends and family, but putting in a little work during this month will actually make your life a heckuva lot easier in the long run. Seriously, I'm gonna show you how to make your accounts more secure by just remembering one really good password instead of 50 terrible ones. And a lot more too.

If this sounds cool to you, then subscribe to our Youtube channel and hit up the whole 30 day challenge on my blog at snubsie.com. I've also created a downloadable checklist so if you wanna skip ahead, you can totally do so. That's fine with me, just make sure you get all the things done.

So today we are just going to set some intentions for the month and figure out what devices we own and what accounts we have.

Grab a notepad and pencil and write down some goals you want to accomplish. Why did you watch this video? What accounts have been hacked in the past that you want to secure? Have your friends experienced hacks and you want to show them what you've learned? Do you just want to learn what the heck two factor authentication is and why I constantly gripe about it? Write down your goals to inspire and motivate yourself to take control of your security and privacy online.

In a new column on that notepad, write down any and all accounts that you use online that you have a login for. Your email. Twitter, Facebook. Your bank. Your Steam video game account. Your Instagram account. Any accounts that require a login, write 'em down. Even if you haven't logged into that account in months, write it down anyways. DON'T write down the passwords in here - just the name of websites you log into.

The next step you want to take is to take note of any devices you own that connect to the internet in some fashion. Write down the names of any products you own that are plugged in and can't be moved. Your Nest Thermostat? That's connected, write it down. Your router / modem? Those are connected too, so write them down. Your Amazon Echo or Google Home, your laptop, your Fitbit, your Apple Watch. These are all connected devices. Write those down. Making yourself a list of physical devices you own that connect to the internet will give you a good representation of how many ways you put personal information online.

Now you might own some old devices that are just sitting in your garage waiting to be sent to the Goodwill or sold on eBay or simply e-cycled. Grab a box and collect all those old devices, and list them all in your notepad as well. Make sure you have your cables or chargers for these, as we're going to use them tomorrow for Day 2. Put all these devices somewhere easily reachable so you can get into them tomorrow for our next step.

Okay, that's it for today. Easy, right? All ya had to do was write some stuff down. Tomorrow we're going to go through those old electronics and make sure they're ready to get rid of, then we're going to hop online and start deleting old accounts, and I'll show you an easy way to do that as well.

Again, subscribe on Youtube if you haven't already so you don't miss tomorrow's video, and see the whole challenge at snubsie.com, links are down below. I'm Shannon Morse and I'll see ya tomorrow for Day 2!