Do you know what these privacy notifications mean on your phone?

They sit at the top of your screen, they're easy to miss, and they're one of the simplest privacy tools you've got.

• Green dot. An app is using your camera.
• Orange dot. An app is using your microphone.
• Blue arrow. Something is using your location.

If you spot one when you're not expecting it, swipe down from the top right of your screen to open Control Centre and see which app is responsible. Sometimes the answer is perfectly sensible, like maps while you're navigating. Sometimes it's a torch app that has no business knowing where you are.

I think of this as part of the human firewall. Cyber security isn't only about software and policies, it's about people noticing when something doesn't look right, and a small coloured dot is well worth noticing.

When did you last check which apps can see, hear and locate you?