These days more than any other, privacy issues are the forefront of debate and unraveling within the security matrix. What is worse is that the common blue collar worker is not given much information in a sensible, easy to digest, comprehensive format about how to secure their privacy and what exactly needs to be secure. The people who gain this knowledge are either law enforcement or the criminals themselves, while the majority of Americans are left to grope old articles and buy books about the subject possibly only after an specific incident has occurred. Here are a few things you need to know.
1) Identity fraud is at it's peak!
By virtue of computers and a nation that relies more on credit than cash at hand, relies more on electronics than on memory, thinking that government and corporations are reliable enough to secure our own personal information is erroneous thinking. In order to have privacy we need to make it happen and it costs both time and effort.
Computer privacy is a longstanding issue we face. If a computer user has ever filled out a personal form online, from entering a sweepstakes, to looking at a bank account, volunteer work, to mail order etc... any kind of form, that information is saved into the computer And while we can password protect some information it will be a worthless effort in the face of someone taking control of the administration features on a personal computer. Always have a good firewall, a spyware protector, virus protection and a backround program that records any changes to a computer's program or file system. Also keep in mind when using a work, a library or friend's computer, your passwords, pages you visited, and account numbers can be recorded for their viewing. For those who own websites, the name and address of the owner is easy accessible to the public. Use a domain privacy protection such as contactprivacy.com to secure private information. It is also good to have a cloak for the isp if one has cable or dsl.
Shredding information garbage, this a must. Less intelligent criminals use this method and it is very effective. That and looking through the mailbox when one isn't home. To ensure they cannot collect on your absence view this website for helpful hints. http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs1-surv.htm
2) Tracking People
If you have a voters registration card, your name and address can be tracked by anyone. It is a catch 22 for this one but the government allows it to happen. If one is trying to leave an abusive relationship by moving, two things are important here. First, do not register to vote. Second, do not have a forwarding address on mail. The abuser can mail a letter to the previous home and viola, the information is sent to them on the new address by request. Also, do not subscribe for magazines or the local paper for delivery.
Zabasearch is one of those controversial websites that gives our your personal information without a dime to anyone who types it in. Write them and let them know you do not want your information on their website, yes it CAN be done.
Email addresses are a way of finding out about people. NEVER, no never put a real name or home address for a yahoo, hotmail etc account. And please be frugal about whom you give your email address to. I have found what peoples interest are, their hobbies, and sometimes even a name and phone number just from entering the email address into a google search. If people are avid online users, there is a lot information about them circulating from the websites they use. There is also a thing called the 'hidden web' and depending what search engine one has and how they enter the terms for search, things that don't come up normally will come up so please be prudent. Also have a different nic name for different websites, it makes one less traceable.
Corporations are the biggest violators of privacy. They don't always shred your personal information and if you are not aware of the third party advertising clause depend on them making money on you. Do business only with reputable corporations and ask them what their policies are regarding consumer privacy. However most times corporations do not tell the public how they are using the information and people don't know to ask. For example, in Time Magazine there is an article about the safety air bags having a memory in the system. How fast was he or she driving when the accident occurred? It will come up in court, be sure about that since it has a memory on the rate of speed the driver is doing. And just as recent in the last few years, Microsoft Corp has had lawsuits in the information they were gathering on users without their knowledge. Jewel/Osco, Dominicks? It is this handy way of marketing off your purchase when you use a store card for discounts, as the other stores do as well. It is all about money and knowing about you, your habits etc. In the end corporations have compiled so much information with in-house marketing techniques that it borders on the line of privacy and sometimes crosses it.
All in all, we have to do the extra work and may even pay out of our pockets for privacy. But it is worth it every step of the way.
Ps...This is not an intellectual debate subject. I am not here to debate, just posting the article.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Gallery
FAQ
Profile PM's 
