Practical Steps to Protect Your Privacy
By Adam Stone, SDS Privacy Practice Lead
January 28th marks International Data Privacy Day! As such Secure Digital Solutions has provided the following as both educational and slightly entertaining content to assist in the general education of privacy awareness for data privacy day 2015.
For those not aware, January 28 is Data Privacy Day every year and 2015 is no exception. This occasion provides an opportunity for privacy nerds (like this writer) and regular folks alike to reflect on the changing face of personal privacy in our connected world. Rest assured dear reader, we will neither pontificate nor prognosticate on the legal and societal questions relating to the tradeoffs between convenience and personal space. We shall avoid thorny political subjects about civil liberties and national security. The fact is: In the virtual world, we must manage our privacy in ways similar to those in the real world; for we are the rulers and groundskeepers of our Islands of Privacy.
What can you do to manage your privacy and data security? Resources abound for those who are willing to search. In celebration of Data Privacy Day, the following list highlights some (certainly not all) of our favorites:
- Delete unused website accounts.
- Add your phone numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry.
- Tell behavioral advertisers to stop tracking you.
- Always use a password manager.
- Promote data privacy awareness.
- Read those website privacy policies.
- Identify suspicious logins to popular online services.
- Validate your credit reports by requesting free copies via the FTC’s web site.
- Ask a data broker what they know about you.
- Change your passwords.
- Yank outdated software versions with a personal software updater.
- Dump cookies and direct marketing mail and email.
- Alternate your answers to website security questions.
- Yield before giving Jimmy Kimmel your password.