Web Wealth: Protect yourself
Everyone needs to take responsibility for his or her own privacy protection, for guarding financial privacy, and for avoiding identity theft. How can you do that? These sites point the way.
Everyone needs to take responsibility for his or her own privacy protection, for guarding financial privacy, and for avoiding identity theft. How can you do that? These sites point the way.
At Mainstreet.com, Matt Brownell names "8 things you should shred right now" to protect your identity. Those things include old tax returns that might contain your dependents' Social Security numbers, as well as your own; credit-card offers that someone - even another family member - might use to open an account in your name; canceled checks, and all those credit-card convenience checks that you never asked for.
Online shopping and banking can be a very secure way to do business, but it is important to remain vigilant in guarding your personal information and privacy. The Center for Democracy and Technology has some simple tips for transacting business online. Rule Number One is to supply personal information only over secure websites - those whose Web addresses start with "https" instead of "http." Secure sites encrypt the information that you submit. Also, "don't use unsecured wifi" when you are doing business. You never know who else may be tapping into such wireless connections.
http://consumerprivacyguide.org/ocb
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse describes the loopholes that companies may be using to share your personal information when you don't suspect it. The clearinghouse says to assume that the burden for protecting your financial privacy is on you. This page goes into detail on how to find and interpret those densely worded privacy policies and privacy notices that, on close inspection, often seem to be taking away more privacy than they give. There is also a list of agencies and links where you can lodge privacy complaints.
If you run a business that needs to collect sensitive consumer or employee information, stay on your toes. Here's the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection page on your legal responsibilities for properly collecting, protecting and disposing of that information.