I’m Julia Newman, a tech enthusiast and experience in online security, file sharing, and privacy tools. My duty and passion are writing and helping FixThePhoto readers of the blog stay safe online because I believe protecting your files and privacy is just as important as creating amazing photos. With AI tools becoming more common, understanding how everything works with your creative rights nowadays and how to secure your work is more important than ever.
I hold a degree in Information Technology from Purdue University. At that time, I tried to be an influencer-photographer about travelling and that’s why safeguarding digital environments and optimizing internet accessibility become my topic number one. My early career began as a lifestyle-travel shooter on freelancing and then in online IT consulting, where I specialized in integrating cybersecurity measures for small businesses, namely, working closely with photographers and filmmakers.
Since 2008, I have joined the FixThePhoto editing team, where I am responsible not for retouching but for writing detailed reviews, screen tutorials, and articles about all software to protect your and your digital files online and on your devices.
Beyond work, I still travel a lot cause work from home online and can name myself a fitness yoga fanatic, often balancing my time between exploring new places and staying active outdoors. I always use several VPNs while traveling and it really help me understand the travelers like me and help them always have secure and unrestricted internet access.
Based on my years of trial and error while using these protective programs in different countries, I've managed to select security tools that are worth using. I rely heavily on several programs that exist for many years and proved to be reliable for photographers’ purposes and more. I first started using these tools during my travels through Europe after graduating, where I needed fast server speeds and strong encryption to access public Wi-Fi at cafés securely. Don’t overjudge VPNs and find them useless, especially when working with clients in regions with heavy internet restrictions like China or the UK.
When it comes to torrenting, well I strongly advise against using trackers to download software. It’s the most highly discussed topic in my blog. While it might seem like an easy way to get expensive programs - especially so famous Photoshop, Lightroom - it comes with significant risks and together with my FixThePhoto colleagues we show how it can impact your gear and devices. When it’s cheaper to buy a subscription that lose your Windows version and all files you have.
Official software, especially, if we are talking about golden standard software, can be too expensive, but downloading cracked versions exposes your computer to malware, viruses, and security vulnerabilities.
During my tests on different FixThePhoto company’s laptops and PCs from American and other countries’ brands, I found that pirated software is equal to no new updates and ai features, no online plugins, crashes frequently, and can even corrupt your projects or files which is so important for photographers who work with files only.
There’s a common myth around that antiviruses were created by the same people who created viruses, purely to sell their software and earn more. I decided to put this claim to the test in each my article and document what really happens to computers and phones when they are left unprotected. Spoiler: the results were not so predictable as you may think.
Even when I do trials at my office, I purposely expose devices of the FixThePhoto team to various real-world threats, clicking on suspicious links, downloading files from shady sources, and browsing unsecured websites which they don’t like at all always hiding when I enter the room. Without any antivirus protection, the consequences were immediate and alarming.
