Don’t Just Log Out—Do This After Using a Public Computer
Two weeks ago, I used a public computer at a co-working space in Austin. I logged into my Gmail, printed a few PDFs, and quickly logged out. That should’ve been the end of it—except it wasn’t. The next day, I received an email from Google alerting me to a suspicious login attempt from the same IP address. That’s when it hit me: I didn’t actually protect my data—I just logged out and assumed it was enough. If you’ve ever used a library kiosk, hotel lobby desktop, or airport check-in station, this post is for you. Logging out is only part of the process. Here’s what you should really be doing to keep your accounts and data safe. Table of Contents Clear all browser data Check for background logins Log out of cloud-connected apps Disable auto-fill and sync Use remote logout tools if available Clear all browser data Simply closing the browser isn’t enough—clear everything manually. Before stepping away from a public computer, go into th...