Normally, it is thanks to the iCloud account that we synchronize the content of our Mac with that of our iPhone, iPad and the same cloud. We are talking about synchronizing contacts, calendars, notes, reminders, etc. But in addition to our Apple ID we can use other accounts to synchronize the information . Accounts like Google, Facebook, Hotmail, LinkedIn that we may have set up at the time and forgotten. It’s a good idea to review it.
Privacy involves being careful with which service you access our data
When we use third-party accounts, they access our data to sync with their services and then with other devices as long as we sign in with the same account. While this is very useful, it can come with a couple of drawbacks . Using too many accounts to sync information can lead to duplicate contacts, calendars, etc.
In addition, we must take privacy into account . It is easy that at some point some service offered us to log in and that we have forgotten that it continues to access all our data in real time. Given this possibility, the best thing is that we review what third-party accounts we have configured on our Mac. We will do it by following these steps:
- From the Apple () menu we choose System Preferences.
- We enter Internet Accounts.
Here we will find a couple of columns with the information . On the one hand, we have the left column, where we see all the accounts that are configured on our Mac. Selecting any of them in the right column we see the specific options and what information they have access to.
Accounts that we do not want to use and accounts that we do, but with options
The first thing we will do, then, is review the left column and eliminate all those accounts that we no longer use. To do this we simply select them and touch the “-” at the bottom of the list. Then we will review the accounts that we do want to use.
To do this, we simply select them and check what information they have access to. It is possible, to give an example, that we use a Google account, one that only needs access to mail, not calendars or notes. This way we refine which service accesses which information , eliminate duplicate contacts and improve our privacy.
As we can see, the system is very simple. There are many occasions in which a web service can offer us to log in from our Mac as well. Sometimes, in the rush to complete the login, we can inadvertently accept this connection. One that can be very useful to us, without a doubt, but that it is a good idea that we have in view .
What is the Apple ID: a single account and password to control iCloud and the App Store easily
Thanks to this System Preferences panel we can very easily review from time to time which services access our data. It is relatively common that we have forgotten something, so in the interests of privacy and to avoid duplicates and other errors, it is a good idea to take a look at our third-party accounts .
