Tony Sumrall
Contributing columnist
We’re covering two topics this time. A serious data breach has occurred and we’ll cover that first, then we’ll discuss where your browser puts downloaded files.
Your SSN has likely been stolen
I have to bring to your attention the fact that 2.9 BILLION phone numbers, addresses and social security numbers (yes, social security numbers!) have been stolen from a company named National Public Data. The chances that your information is in there are pretty high. All of my addresses, current and previous, are included. Time Magazine has a good article about it (https://time.com/7011872/social-security-data-breach-information/) with a link to a database where you can check if your information is included (https://npd.pentester.com/search). I urge you to read the article and also to check if your information is included. In any case, I encourage you to freeze your credit at all of the major credit services (EquiFax, Experian and TransUnion) and sign up for an account at ssa.gov so you can watch your social security information for any changes that you haven’t made. Also, enable multi-factor authentication on all of your accounts. For banks and other financial institutions, I would recommend you set up notifications for transactions of any size. I have mine set to the minimum value they will allow. For some institutions, it’s as little as a penny, but for others, it’s a few dollars. And pay attention to those notifications! Once you have enabled multi-factor authentication, don’t just blindly respond to any authentication request. Make sure you yourself have requested authentication by the institution that’s requesting it. If you weren’t before, now is the time to be extra vigilant.
Where are my downloaded files?
Now, let us discuss where your browsers store your downloads. As far as I’m aware, all of the desktop browsers give you the option of selecting where you want your downloads to go or, alternatively, ask you for each download. I prefer the latter.
When it comes to mobile devices, it’s a mixed bag. Very few give you the option to specify where to store your browser downloads – most will automatically save to a specific location. That location differs between Apple mobile devices and Android mobile devices. And in many cases, that can be changed.
Browsers on Apple mobile devices
On Apple devices, it really depends on whether you use Safari or another browser. By default, Safari saves your downloads in a folder named Downloads on your iCloud drive but you can change that (see https://macreports.com/where-do-downloads-go-in-safari-on-iphone-or-ipad/). If you’re using a different browser you should try looking for the Downloads item in your browser’s settings (if it has one). If it does, then you can likely change it to wherever you’d like to save your downloaded files. The files you’ve already downloaded will be in the location that was specified in that setting before you changed it. If your browser doesn’t have that setting, you can use the Files app and look in the Recents folder or, if you downloaded something a while ago, go to “On My iPad” or “On My iPhone” and look for a folder named after your browser then look in that folder for your downloaded files. For instance, if you used Firefox, your downloads would, by default, be in a folder named Firefox on your iPad or iPhone. If you used the Brave browser, look for a folder named Brave and your downloaded files should be in there.
Browsers on Android devices
Every browser I’ve used on my Android devices has stored its downloaded files in a folder named Downloads or possibly a folder named after your browser in the Downloads folder. Most Android devices have a Files or My Files app that works similarly to the Files app on Apple mobile devices in that you can see recently added and downloaded files and open, delete or do a number of other operations on the files displayed there.
That’s all this time
I hope you’ll take action after this latest batch of stolen user data! And I hope I’ve helped you understand where your downloaded files are stored. Don’t hesitate to write to me if you have questions!
As always, my intent is to help you understand the basics and equip you to search for more detailed information.
Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, suggestions, requests for future columns, to sign up for my newsletter, or whatever at [email protected] or just drop me a quick note and say HI!
You can read the original columns in the Hillsboro Times-Gazette at https://go.ttot.link/TG-Column. That will take you to the most recent column in the newspaper and it should be updated shortly after this column appears in the newspaper’s online version. You can read all my columns and sign up for my newsletter to have them delivered to your email when I publish them at https://ttot.link or https://TonysTakeOnTech.beehiiv.com.
Tony Sumrall, a Hillsboro native whose parents ran the former Highland Lanes bowling alley, is a maker with both leadership and technical skills. He’s been in the computing arena since his graduation from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in systems analysis, working for and with companies ranging in size from five to hundreds of thousands of employees. He holds five patents and lives and thrives in Silicon Valley which feeds his love for all things tech.
