Every day, we bank, shop, conduct business, and exchange photos and messages with family and friends using our smartphones. While this is incredibly convenient, it also poses risks to our data and privacy as our offline and online lives increasingly converge.
In 2026, data breaches reached a record 1,862, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a 68% increase over 2026. While the record number of breaches is concerning, it’s also noteworthy that 1,600 of the 1,862 total compromises resulted from cyberattacks—indicating that data breaches will continue to grow in scale and sophistication. As businesses strive to build more defenses to protect their customers’ data, it’s equally important for everyone to take steps to safeguard their own security, privacy, and identity information.
Limit the sharing of sensitive personal information.
With headlines reporting over a billion data breaches from Facebook and LinkedIn profiles alone in 2026, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to protect their privacy and data online. So, how much information are you willing to share when interacting with online services? Consider why a company is asking for your information and what it might do with it before providing it. Remember, you always have the option to refuse. In the case of the LinkedIn and Facebook breaches, the sensitive information exposed included phone numbers, physical addresses, and email addresses, as well as personal and professional details.
Check application settings
To minimize the risks to your data, you should also check the settings of all your accounts and apps. Today, nearly one in four Facebook profiles is “public,” meaning anyone can see and collect the personal details posted. 60% of users post their date of birth, 47% their hometown, and 30% the names and information of their family members. This is particularly concerning because many people use this same information as passwords. Attackers can easily guess your passwords or steal your identity. If you have apps on your smartphone, you can delete them, disable them, or change their privacy settings—this will reduce the amount of data they collect. You should also review the number of third-party apps you may have granted access to your social media accounts. If one of these apps is breached, it could expose all your data.
Take appropriate security measures
Many of us have already had our information leaked in a data breach, sometimes without even realizing it. 80% of consumers have had their email address leaked on the Dark Web, and 70% have had their phone number leaked. It’s important to remember that a data breach doesn’t necessarily mean your data is being misused, but it is an early warning sign of a potential identity breach. Therefore, it’s crucial to act quickly to protect your information.
You can start by using an analytics tool to get a report on any data breaches that may be associated with your emails and online accounts. If your data is compromised, you should change your password immediately. It’s also recommended to enable multi-factor authentication for an extra layer of protection for your account, even if your passwords are compromised. You can also use a password manager to help you create stronger passwords and store them securely. Finally, to protect yourself in the future, you can enable breach alerts and personal identity monitoring services that will notify you immediately if your information is compromised and offer steps to protect yourself against account compromise or identity theft.
While there’s no magic bullet to secure all your personal information on your smartphone, you can reduce the risks by taking these simple steps to protect your data and privacy. This includes being mindful of the data you share online, customizing your account and smartphone settings, and enabling monitoring tools to protect your important information.
