With astronomical spring starting this week-end, this seems the ideal time for a spring clean. Below we will explain how you can do the same in your digital world, and why this will also benefit your security!
Apps and programs
Removing apps and programs from your smartphone or computer doesn’t just leave you with more memory and room in your program overview, it will also speed up your device, reduce power consumption and the number of potential vulnerabilities in your system.
If you want to be thorough, you might consider a complete reinstallation of your operating system on your computer, or resetting your smartphone to factory settings. First though, you have to make sure to back up your data!
Accounts
It used to be rather involved or even impossible to delete your accounts from most online platforms. Since the GDPR came into effect though, an increasing number of organisations offer an option to delete your own account in your profile settings. From a data protection and security perspective, it is highly recommended deleting any unused accounts this way. This measure is an effective means of preventing any potential future data leaks.
Contacts
Deleting inactive contacts from your addressbook doesn’t just make it easier to find any actually relevant ones, but also reduces the risk of sending a message to the wrong person by mistake.
Files
Take the easy option and look for files which are duplicates or have several versions to start with. Before deleting them, please note however that duplicated images, songs or movies could be of different levels of quality.
Rarely used files which you would prefer not to get rid of for sentimental reasons can also be archived on an external data carrier. This has the advantage that not all of your personal data end up in the wrong hands in case your data are stolen. And don’t forget to create a back-up of your archive, too.
Folder structure
If you haven’t already done so, we recommend creating a folder structure which will allow you to find your files faster. To do so, consider the filing location where you would start to look for a certain file later.
Cleaning and tuning tools
We don’t recommend using any tuning and cleanig tools. Your system’s stability is often affected once you have used them. In case you would like to rid your system of any unnecessary ballast, a complete reinstallation of your operating system is still the most reliable method.
