I'm feeling really anxious because a friend of mine, who lives far away, seems to be stalking my online activity. He knows what I'm doing on my phone and laptop, even when I'm using a different account or mobile data. I'm worried about my privacy and whether he might be tracking my family's online activities as well. I've tried talking to him and asking him to stop, but nothing has worked. This situation is stressing me out, and I'd appreciate any help or advice on how to handle it. What can I do to protect myself?
5 Answers
You've got to provide more details if you want targeted advice. Like, what's your laptop and phone make and model? What OS are they running? What steps have you tried on your own so far?
It sounds like you're on the right track, but maybe you need more comprehensive security options or professional advice at this point.
Honestly, don't trust any AI for deeply personal issues. Consider having conversations with trusted friends or professionals instead.
I'm not a tech expert, but your first step should be to back up your important files and completely format both your laptop and phone. After that, you should definitely block that friend and consider reporting him. It's important to secure your devices versus just relying on talking to him.
Backup everything that's important and then do a full reinstall of your operating systems. Also, change all your passwords and unlink any accounts you share with him, like any family group settings on Google.
If you're still feeling unsure, maybe reach out to a tech professional to help with the reset and making sure everything is secure.
This might sound like more than just tech issues; it seems like you might want to talk to someone about how you feel in general, not just the tech side of things.
I didn’t mean to make light of your situation! What info do you think would be helpful? Just let me know!
Is this friend really worth keeping around if he's invading your privacy like this?

I've got a Google Pixel 9a and a Windows 11 laptop. I set up two-factor authentication on Google, removed old devices from my account, but it hasn't helped much.