10 Ways to
Protect Your Privacy Online
As you read e-mail, check your stock
portfolio, post a status update on Facebook
and consult weather sites to keep an eye on
that storm headed your way, you leave
invisible tracks on the Internet. How can
you protect your personal information from
being misused? The simple answer: Be smart!
The Center for Democracy and
Technology has developed tips for protecting
your privacy online. Some are easy, some are
just common sense and some will involve a
bit of work.
1. Learn how to
read online privacy policies.
Almost every Web site -- from Amazon to
YouTube -- silently records what you are
doing. Web sites can collect information
without your knowledge, such as what kind of
hardware and software you are using or the
address your ISP has assigned to you. Some
Web sites plant a "cookie" on your computer
to identify your machine and keep track of
your activity. That said, those same Web
sites have privacy policies that describe
the kind of information that is collected,
stored and used, as well as with whom it is
shared. But just because a site has a
privacy policy doesn't mean it's protecting
your privacy. Often buried in the fine print
are broad statements about how your
information could be disclosed to third
parties.
2. Opt out and use any other privacy
options offered. Pay attention to the
privacy options Web sites offer, including
the ability to opt out of the lists that
share your information. While some companies
make it easy by asking your permission to
opt in before sharing any information they
collect, too many do just the opposite and
then make it difficult to opt out.
3. Get a separate
account for your personal e-mail.
Keep your work and personal e-mail separate.
Why? Your boss has the legal right to read
your work e-mail correspondence, as well as
any personal information you may have stored
on your personal computer.
4. Teach your
children not to give out personal
information online without your permission.
While federal law prohibits companies
from collecting personal information from
children under 13, there are some Web sites
that violate or skirt the law. Take the time
to impress upon your children how important
it is they ask your permission before they
give out their name, address or other
information about themselves or their
family. Make sure your teenagers who use
Facebook and MySpace have privacy settings
that allow only their real friends to see
their information.
5. Be careful when
using social networking sites and
picture/video sharing sites. If
you use a picture or video-sharing site to
share photos with friends and relatives, pay
attention to the privacy settings to be sure
you are not sharing photos with strangers,
especially photos of your children.
6. Learn about and
then use the privacy features in your
browser. Whether you use Internet
Explorer, Safari, Camino, Firefox or Chrome,
there are a variety of tools and plug-ins
available to help protect your privacy and
the security of the information you use on
the Internet. Take the time to learn about
these features so you can better control the
planting of "cookies" on your computer, as
well as identify insecure or fraudulent
sites before you visit them. If you use a
computer in a library or other public place,
clear your browser history and memory cache
when you are finished. Depending on the
specific browser, you can delete cached
images from the "Preferences" menu or the
"Tools" menu.
7. Make sure that
online transactions are secure.
Most e-commerce sites have a secure way to
receive your credit card information. In
most cases, the address for a secure Web
site will start with "https." The "s"
indicates it is secure. In addition, most
browsers display a small picture of a lock
to indicate the site is secure. Just because
the site has both these features doesn't
mean it is legitimate. The company running
it could be fraudulent or the Web site may
be a fake.
8. Learn how to
spot phishing and other scams.
Before giving out personal information
online, know who you're dealing with. You
have to be especially careful because
fraudsters create Web sites that look like
those of legitimate businesses, trying to
get you to enter information. "Phishing" is
a scam designed to steal your personal
information under false pretenses, usually
by tricking you into disclosing personal
information, such as credit card numbers,
your Social Security number and account
passwords. Some clues of fraud:
• If an e-mail address that purports to be
from a bank or business headquartered in the
United States ends with .cn or any other
country code, it is not legitimate.
• Messages marked "Urgent" are usually
fraudulent.
• Many fake sites will place a picture of a
fake lock icon on their site. Make sure the
secure lock icon is in the browser frame and
not inside the browser window.
9. Reject or delete
unnecessary cookies. Cookies are
small bits of computer code planted on your
computer by most of the Web sites you visit.
They allow Web sites to collect and store
information about your online activity and
to recognize your computer when you return
again or visit an affiliated site. For
example, if you signed up to a Web site and
obtained a user name and password, cookies
remember that information for you. Consult
your browser's Help section to find out how
to delete unnecessary or unwanted cookies.
10. Safeguard
important files and communications.
Secure your laptop, your phone and other
portable devices with a strong password that
cannot be guessed easily by someone who
knows your name. Never use family names or
birthdates as passwords. Keep your important
files out of any shared or public folders.
In situations where there is a particular
need for security, you should use
encryption.
(Source: The Center for Democracy and
Technology)