Safety and Security

Passwords

Use a strong password to secure your account.

Create a password that’s at least 8 characters long and includes a mix of uppercase letters (at least 2), and lowercase letters, numbers (at least 2), and special symbols (at least 2). Avoid common phrases, predictable patterns, or personal information like birthdays or the name of your spouse or child.

To ensure a secure password for your account follow these best practices:

1. Avoid Reusing Passwords: Use unique passwords for each account. Reusing passwords across sites increases the risk of multiple accounts being compromised if one password is leaked.
2. Use a Password Manager: Password managers can securely store complex passwords and automatically fill them in when needed. This reduces the need to remember each password and helps keep them safe.
3. Avoid Password Sharing: Never share your passwords with others or over unsecured channels (like text or email).
4. Update Passwords: Change your password periodically.
5. Watch Out for Phishing Attacks: Be vigilant against unfamiliar email, messages, or pop-ups asking for your password, or other personal information. I will never send you a text message, social media message, or email asking for your password. if I require that you change your password, you can do so yourself, on this website.
6. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Consider enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) for an added layer of security. With 2FA, logging in requires not only the password but also a secondary code sent to your phone or generated by an authenticator app.

By following these steps, you can significantly enhance the security of your account, making it more resilient against unauthorized access.

What is hCaptcha?

hCaptcha is a privacy-focused service that protects websites from spam, bots, and automated abuse. It works by presenting simple challenges that are easy for humans, but difficult for bots or malicious software to solve. These challenges verify that a user is a real person, before allowing access to the website including logging in.

The hCaptcha service is used on this website to prevent spam, improve login and registration security. It may be applied to forms. Another reason is to respect your privacy by avoiding invasive tracking. Unlike traditional CAPTCHA services, hCaptcha does not track personal data for advertising. It complies with major privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA. You may be asked to complete a quick image identification task to verify that you’re human. However, these challenges are brief and keep this site secure and free from harmful bots. While hCaptcha is common, others including rCaptcha (Google), MTCaptcha, Cloudflare Turnstile, and Akismet are also effective.

Follow these steps to ensure these security tools work smoothly for you:

1. Enable Cookies and JavaScript: These tools relies on both cookies and JavaScript to function. Users should check that these are enabled in their browser settings, as disabling them may cause hCaptcha to fail.
2. Use a Compatible Browser: They work best on modern browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Outdated or uncommon browsers might not fully support it. Keep your browsers up-to-date. This can help to improve compatibility.
3. Check Your Internet Connection: A stable internet connection is essential, as these security tools need to communicate with servers. A slow or intermittent connection may prevent it from loading or submitting responses correctly.
4. Avoid VPNs, Firewalls or Proxies (if Possible): Some VPNs and proxies may flag these causing them to activate more frequently or block users. Disabling these temporarily can sometimes resolve issues with hCAPTCHA, and all the others.
5. Regulary Clear Cache and Cookies: Cached data or outdated cookies can sometimes interfere with hCaptcha. Clearing them occasionally or when facing issues can help hCAPTCHA function as intended.
6. Disable Browser Extensions that Block Scripts: Ad blockers or privacy extensions may inadvertently block hCaptcha scripts. Try disabling these extensions temporarily if hCaptcha is not working properly.
7. Complete Challenges Carefully: For image-based challenges or puzzles, ensure they are completed accurately. Moving too quickly or incorrectly can cause reCaptcha to reset, requiring users to complete multiple challenges.

By following these practices, users can help ensure hCaptcha runs smoothly, improving their chances of successful verification on websites.

Getting Started

To use 2FA, you’ll need to install an authenticator app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Several reliable apps are available to choose from.

Why Use 2FA?

By requiring both forms of verification, 2FA greatly enhances the security of your account, making it significantly harder for unauthorized users to gain access. Even if a hacker steals your password, they won’t be able to access your account without the second code, which is generated separately.Protect your account by enabling 2FA today—it’s a simple step that offers powerful security and peace-of-mind.