A Common Sense Approach To Online Privacy

1. Your name and address are not really confidential. Neither is your email address. Stop freaking out. I recently received an email at work from a customer who was furious that we referred to her by her full name. Do a Google search and you can find anyone. My name is on the internet just from races I ran in high school cross country. It’s like a phone book, and it doesn’t really matter that much. Nobody can really do anything with your name and address, besides be annoying – and most are turning to email to be annoying, anyway – where spam filters can keep your inbox clean.
2. Your SS# IS confidential. Unless you KNOW who is asking for it, don’t give it to them. A social security number can give somebody access to a lot of information, and they can cause some damage with it. Try to avoid emailing it, too. Really – protect your social security number.
3. Much of online protection involves needing stronger passwords. If you use the same password for everything online, you will get hit sooner or later. Most people’s passwords are incredibly easy to hack. The best way to do it is to use a random series of numbers and capital and lowercase letters. “But how am I supposed to remember that?” you ask. Well, there are a number of password management programs where you can securely generate and store your passwords. Then you just come up with a strong password for that account, and you only need to log in to that account to use all your passwords. I use LastPass, for example, and it is great: they have a number of security features built in to keep hackers from accessing your passwords. Strong passwords will eliminate most of the risk of identity theft online.
4. Embarrassed by those photos on Facebook? No privacy settings will protect those. Here’s something you need to be considerate of: Facebook essentially can publicly display the information you have provided them. That photo of you doing body shots off the pool boy in Cancun? Public. That status update where you tell everyone your boss is a prick? Public. Facebook has redefined what privacy online is, and it goes beyond identity theft. Stop oversharing on Facebook – NOW. Everything you put up there is a liability. Use Facebook for fun stuff, share photos, and crack a few jokes. But leave it at that. Nobody wants to hear horror stories of your divorce proceedings or how much you threw up last night after you got home from the bar.
5. Most sites are secure. Amazon, big name retailers, and other popular shopping sites are secure. Unless you’ve seen headlines on a big leak or something, you’ll be fine. Just make sure that you are actually on that particular site, and not a bogus one (like fake PayPal pages).
6. Check your credit report once a year and you’ll be fine. Run to http://www.annualcreditreport.com (NOT FreeCreditReport.com – they will charge you) and get your credit reports from the three big credit reporting agencies. You can get them once a year for free. You don’t need expensive credit monitoring programs. Just check the reports and make sure all your accounts are listed as paid up-to-date. You’re fine.
7. Identity theft is a pain in the butt more than anything else. Just because someone stole your identity and opened up some fraudulent credit card accounts doesn’t mean you will be stuck working at a seafood restaurant singing crappy jingles (and let’s not get started on the credibility of THOSE commercials!). United States law prevents you from being liable for charges made fraudulently under your name. You’ll have to go through a lot of red tape and file police reports, but they won’t bankrupt you. Calm down. This isn’t The Net.

Pictured: Not you.