What Can I Do to Protect My Personal Information? (2024)
Personal information protection starts with your own actions, because once this information (our credit and bank accounts, educational records, employment records, medical records, contact information, and IDs such as Social Security number, driver's license and passport) is in the hands of others, you have little to no means of controlling it.
Some of the common sense things you can do to keep your information private and out of the hands of unauthorized individuals:
shop safe on the Internet using secure online payment services
stay aware of the risks of using the Internet,emailand social engineering tactics (such asphishing.)
Many businesses claim they have products or services that (for a fee) can protect you from identity theft. Be skeptical of these claims, because it's impossible to be completely safe; all we can do is minimize the risk. You can use various methods on your own,for free, including credit monitoring, fraud alerts and credit freeze.
For more detailed information about credit reports, fraud alerts and other issues related to disclosure of personal information, the Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration have websites that provide information on steps you can take to address the threat of identity theft:www.consumer.govandwww.ssa.gov.
You can also email any questions toinfoprotect@mit.edu.
Ensure that your computer, smartphone and other mobile devices are password protected. Only download from reputable sources. Install the latest operating system, anti-virus, anti-spam and firewall programs and keep them updated. Exercise caution when using public networks.
Pay particular attention to how you keep personally identifying information: Social Security numbers, credit card or financial information, and other sensitive data. That's what thieves use most often to commit fraud or identity theft.
Remove social media accounts you don't use. Opt out of people search sites. Remove your information from data brokers. Clean up or delete old blogs and websites.
DON'T leave data unattended. Keep a clear desk, tidy confidential data away when not in use. DO consider whether it's necessary to use personal data to achieve your objective. DON'T collect or allow others to access personal data 'just in case'.
One way that investigators access information posted on a private social media account is through third-parties. If a user posts something that concerns one of their social media “friends,” that friend can show the post to officers without implicating Fourth Amendment protections (United States v. Sawyer, 786 F. Supp.
To protect personal information gathered by legitimate organizations, individuals can take steps such as using two-factor authentication and stronger passwords, as well as being educated on how to avoid scams.
Encryption is a process that renders data unreadable to anyone except those who have the appropriate password or key. By encrypting sensitive files (by using file passwords, for example), you can protect them from being read or used by those who are not entitled to do either.
Introduction: My name is Greg O'Connell, I am a delightful, colorful, talented, kind, lively, modern, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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