Are there VPN benefits?
Advanced Security & Privacy settings
The built-in security features of macOS have gradually expanded with each new update, and the latest – macOS Monterey – bolsters its defences still further by introducing more significant enhancements. First there is Private Relay, which keeps your internet activity private by hiding your IP address, and second there is Hide My Email, which allows you to use a bogus address to create new appand internet accounts while withholding your actual address. Both present huge strides in protecting our online data and we’ll guide you through the process of setting up and using both features. We will also look at other ways to tighten up your security, both on your computer itself and while browsing the web, to ensure that your Mac stays impenetrable by unscrupulous outside forces. Read on to discover our essential tips and tricks.
Although Private Relay sounds like a VPN, it only lets you navigate the web through your existing geographic location, albeit a broader one. So you can’t use it for streaming Netflix content from a different country, for example. It also only works with Safari, not other browsers.
While in the Security & Privacy System Preferences, click on the ‘Advanced’ button and then you can set up the options to log out of your Mac account after a certain period of inactivity and require a password to access system-wide preferences.
Introducing iCloud+
We’ll go deeper into each feature shortly, but here is a quick overview of iCloud+ and the new security features that it brings to macOS Monterey. Go to System Preferences>Apple ID>iCloud to see these options.
Upgrade to iCloud+
If you are currently operating on Apple’s free 5GB iCloud storage plan then you will need to upgrade to utilise the privacy benefits of iCloud+. Here’s what you need to do.
1 Open the settings
Go to System Preferences>Apple ID>iCloud and then click on the ‘Manage’ button in the lower-right corner. From there, click on ‘Add Storage’/‘Change Storage Plan’.
2 Pick an option
All of the available storage plan upgrades will be listed, so pick on the one that is right for you. Any paid storage plan will unlock the privacy benefits of iCloud+.
3 Downgrade?
Click ‘Downgrade Options’ if you find you aren’t maximising your current storage or click ‘Change Apple One Plan’ to consolidate all of your Apple subs into one monthly cost.
How to use Private Relay