Delete Facebook, 5G speeds and more: Tech Q&A

Delete your Facebook account

Q: I want to delete my Facebook account and everything I ever posted there. It’s a horrible waste of time and an invasion of privacy.

A: I have never really trusted the company’s intentions, so I was grateful to deactivate my account last year. You can remove your information from the site. Keep in mind that artifacts may remain in others’ accounts, but the brunt of your data will vanish for good. The steps are fairly straight-forward. Here’s how to delete your Facebook account for good.

Ways to put an old phone to use

Q: I have an old phone sitting on my desk. Can I use it as a music player without a cellular plan?

A: You can most likely keep using that music player until the hardware crashes for good, along with internet, email, and most of the apps you once used. You should still take care of this phone, along with its security, since it offers hackers an entry point to your personal data. That said, I have five great ways to use an old phone completely explained on my site.

Watermark your photos when posting online

Q: My photos are pretty good. I like sharing them but I have a certain family member who is using them without my permission. I don’t want to cause a family rift. Any ideas?

A: For professional photographers, the shareability of a digital photo is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, producing high-quality digital images has never been easier. At the same time, it’s the easiest thing in the world to steal a photo from the internet. In your case, a simple watermark might suffice. You can’t necessarily prevent theft, but you can assert your authorship, which should send a loud and clear signal, to relatives and strangers alike. Learn how to protect your online photos by adding a quick watermark on my site.

VPNs for Travel

Q: When I travel, I often have to use Wi-Fi to get work done, and this includes banking and paying bills. Is this safe?

A: The short answer is no, never use public Wi-Fi for any financial transactions. Any signal you don’t own or completely control ought to be avoided except in the direst emergencies, even if it means slowing down your workflow. This is especially true when you travel, since every hotspot you pass through is new and unverifiable. Your best defense is a personal VPN, which is cheap, easy to set up, and should protect you from all but the most sophisticated cyber criminals. Tap or click here to set up your own personal VPN.

5G for my iPhone

Q: I have an iPhone. Will this work with 5G?

A: Imagine downloading an entire HD movie in less than 10 seconds! That’s the good news. Brace yourself. No matter how snazzy, expensive or current your phone, it probably won’t work on 5G. There is an exception offered by Verizon. The good news is that 5G is still new, you will have several years to adapt, and pretty much everyone in the country will be in the same boat. If you want a short read to bring you in the know, read my column about 5G.

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call her national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen or watch to the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim's free podcasts.

Learn about all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com.