You may have heard of

encryption or encrypting

when it comes to matters of security on the Internet and wondered what exactly encryption does to

secure your data

. Well in this tutorial, we'll tell you

what encryption is

and go through the basics of

how encryption works

and how it helps protect your data.

Sometimes, the least of your worries with a lost phone is the replacement cost. The potentially sensitive data contained on that phone is much more troubling. This week, Doc runs down his top five favorite security apps for Android phones. Securely store your passwords, get antivirus protection and even recover your lost Android handset.

Keep your iPhone safe, keep your personal data safe, check out the threatcon level for viruses and malware and secure all of your online purchases. These

free iPhone security apps

are great ways to keep your self, your iPhone and your personal data safe and secure.

If you've ever felt like Big Brother was watching you while you made your way online, you're not alone... and you're not just paranoid. It's amazing the amount of data web sites can get when you connect. Oh, hi Bill Smith in Walla Walla Washington! haven't seen you since 09:43hrs on 08/25/2009. How are your wife and kids? Miss Download demonstrates how to

cover your online tracks

by using a

free proxy service

called

HotSpot Shield

.

If you have a

USB drive

you can carry quite a bit of information around on it. Documents, passwords, bookmarks, and more. If you have something like

PortableApps

installed on it you could have even more information. It might be wise to

encrypt your USB drive

just in case you lose it.

There are times when you have files that you want to protect. Files that you don't want others to have easy access to. For files like that you may want an encrypted disk. You have software right on your Mac that will let you make an encrypted disk in just minutes.

This week, Cheryl becomes a super spy to demo TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt lets you lock a portion of your hard drive away from prying eyes. You can encrypt a folder, a partition or an entire drive so that it's password protected, secure and safe.