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 Despite all encryption policies
and legislation, the best way to keep your personal data private is to
be aware of the dangers and to protect yourself. Bad guys will always
try to steal your credit card number, telemarketers will always pay someone
for your phone number, and companies will always try to collect data for
advertising purposes. Such is the way of the world.
Some Suggestions For Protecting Yourself
Take advantage of anonymity. Chat under a name that belies your age
and sex the best your can (i.e. JaneDoe15
is bad and bluelagoon is better).
Feel free to use more than one e-mail address.
Send personal mail from a separate address than you use for business or
school related subjects. If you are provided e-mail through school
or work, you probably realized that it is hard to be anonymous as jdoe@shs.k12.il.us,
especially when your identity screams "Jane Doe 03". There are dozens
of e-mail providers online from the popular Yahoo!
and MSN Hotmail to the less well known
services at Blazemail and Ramen
Freemail. All of these will allow your to enter a pseudonym
as a sending name and require you to tell the service only your real zip
code.
Never arrange to meet anyone you have met
online without telling two or three friends or family members where you
are going, who you are going to meet, and when you plan on being home.
Meet in a well lit public place and inform family and friends of any changes
in your plans. You weren't born yesterday. Just because they
say their name is Jane and they are 15 doesn't mean their name isn't Rob
and their age is 37.
Read a web site's privacy
policy before sending them personal information.  And
remember, some web sites sell information to mailing lists or advertisers
- your information is valuable, at times, financially. Reject cookies
that do not return to the original domain.
Only give out your most important personal information (such as your social
security number, or your credit card number) on a secured server.
If you would not feel comfortable putting the information on a post card,
you should not be sending it online with a more encrypted format.
And, while encryption helps tremendously, be aware that no
encryption is perfect.
Teach these tips to your
parents. Face it, you've been online longer than they have.
Besides which, you're in a lot more trouble if someone gets a hold of their
credit card (limit $15,000) than yours (limit $1500).
Use common sense.
If someone gives you the creeps in real life, you wouldn't give them your
phone number, right? Exercise the same logic online. Just as
you wouldn't wave about a cash filled wallet, don't be careless with a
credit card number. You wouldn't hand your key to a random stranger
who said he was a locksmith, don't give just anyone your password.
All things said and done, the internet is really no more or less secured
than the U.S. Postal Service.
Most people, including your mail carriers, have no real desire to read
your personal letters or open your checks. If you send a postcard,
people will probably turn it over and read it if they have the chance.
The human species is naturally curious. The number of hackers out
there specifically interested in you mail or e-commerce is very small.
If you are hacked, change your password and alert your credit card company
ASAP.
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