Mary James
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Mary is a cybersecurity writer based in Los Angeles, holding a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University in Pittsburgh. With over seven years of experience, she focuses on educating the public on a wide range of cybersecurity topics, from VPNs to antivirus software.
Mary’s previous experience in sales and content creation at a private cybersecurity firm has enabled her to translate complex topics into easily digestible concepts. Her work has been featured in national publications such as MSN, CNBC, and PC Matic's private blog, reflecting her dedication to sharing vital cybersecurity insights and empowering the public to safeguard their private data.
When she's not writing, Mary works at her local theatre while also enjoying the trifecta of the beach, mountains, and desert.
- MSN
- CNBC
- PC Matic
- Antivirus
- VPNs
- Identity Theft
- B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University
- M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University
- Mac or PC: Both
- Android or iOS: iPhone
Mary's Latest Articles
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How To Remove Trojans: The Right Antivirus Software Is the Key
A Trojan horse infection takes its name from the Greek myth because of its trickery. But unlike the ancient soldiers, you don’t have to be left devastated.
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Best Black Friday and Cyber Monday Antivirus Deals 2025
Antivirus software is necessary to keep your device clean and running smoothly, so snag one of these Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals for some of the lowest prices of the year.
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The Best Free VPNs for Netflix That Work in 2025
Netflix is at war with the VPN industry, trying to stop subscribers from accessing regional and geo-restricted content, but a good VPN can help you get around the barriers.
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Bitdefender VPN Review 2025: A Surprising VPN With Lots of Features
Bitdefender offers a surprisingly well-rounded VPN that comes with features and capabilities seen in VPNs at twice the price.
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Norton Family Review 2025: A Lightweight Solution With No Conversation Monitoring
In our testing, we found Norton Family offered helpful monitoring and real-time alerts without being too invasive. But without conversation monitoring, is it still worth it?
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Is ChatGPT Safe? What You Need to Know About Its Data Harvesting
ChatGPT is an AI tool that offers an infinite number of applications, but what are its pitfalls, and what should you know to use this tool safely?
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RoboForm vs. 1Password 2025: Secure Your Digital Kingdom
Explore the ultimate password management showdown: RoboForm vs 1Password, as we compare features, security, and pricing.
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I Tested 10+ Best Data Removal Tools — Here Are My 5 Favorites (December 2025)
I put my own data into over 10 data removal services to see if they could reduce my digital footprint. Incogni came out on top — here's why.
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What’s a Private Search Engine? (And Why You Really Need One)
Anonymous and private search engines allow you to reclaim your data from popular search engines, which create profiles of you they then use for profit.
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Are You Sharing Too Much? How To Remove Metadata From Your Photos
Metadata can give the exact time, date, and location of the photo you just shared on your social media, but it only takes a few quick steps to remove it.
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Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home Review 2025: Good Protection for the Tech-Savvy
Emsisoft bills itself as next-gen anti-malware software that can beat the meager issues caused by viruses while tackling big, bad malware. But is it too technical for the average home user?
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Total VPN Review 2025: Safe and Simple
TotalAV offers a VPN with its antivirus product that allows you to encrypt your traffic and stay safe from hackers while online.
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The Best VPNs for Amazon Prime Video 2025
Your Amazon Prime Video subscription isn’t giving you everything in its catalog. To open up geo-restricted content and browse privately, you’ll need a top VPN to access all Prime Video has to offer.
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How To Use a VPN to Snag Cheap Flights and More
Price discrimination happens everywhere from Uber to Netflix, but with the right VPN settings, you can snag lower prices across the web and beat the squeeze of inflation.
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Google One VPN Review 2025: Cheap and Secure but Bare Bones
Google VPN encrypted your traffic but lacked additional capabilities like split tunneling, torrenting, or streaming geo-restricted content.
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HitmanPro.Alert Antivirus Review 2025: Is It Too Light for an Antivirus?
If you’re a Windows user, you may want to use HitmanPro.Alert, but we don't recommend it. It’s a malware removal and antivirus tool that can integrate into your current antivirus or as a standalone against online threats.
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The Best VPNs for Disney Plus 2025
Did you know that Disney Plus offers different content depending on where you live in the world? Use a VPN and open up a whole new world of possibilities.
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Zoom AI Training: Should Zoom Use Your Data Without Your Consent?
Earlier this year, Zoom tried to sneak in a policy update that would allow it to use your video calls, chats, messages, whiteboards, and anything else accessed through its platform to train its AI without your knowledge, consent, or compensation.
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How To Get a German IP Address: 3 Easy Ways
Whether you want a German IP address to unblock streaming or to mask your online activity, you can get one with a VPN, proxy server, or within the Tor Browser.
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Immunet Antivirus Review 2025: How Well Did It Perform?
Immunet antivirus was a lightweight, community-based, free antivirus that protects against malware, viruses, and trojans.
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Microsoft Defender vs. Bitdefender 2025: Which Does It Better?
Microsoft Defender and Bitdefender each offer antivirus and malware protection with a variety of additional features, but which one meets your needs better?
