A few thoughts on internet privacy

A few thoughts on internet privacy:


Last night there was a segment on 60 Minutes on companies that capture all of the personal data that consumers put out in the internet and use it for marketing and other purposes.  I work with data for a living so none of it surprised me.  Anything you put out there most likely is swept up by somebody on a website or somebody who has an agreement with that website that allows them to purchase their data.

If you really care about who gets what data you put out on the internet and want to safeguard yourself here are a few tips:

- Never save any history or cookies in whatever browser you are using.
- Clear out the files in your TEMP directory on a frequent basis.
- Saving a credit card to a website you purchase from frequently might seem like it saves time but look at how often you read about data piracy.  Is it worth the time and effort to have to report your credit card stolen (or even your identity) just to save the hassle of few seconds to type in your CC every time you purchase?
- Use only one credit card for online purchases, this way if it is ever hacked or stolen you can easily replace it.  Put a high level of protection on this card so whomever issues it can alert you if there is fraudulent activity on it they can notify you quickly.
- Before signing up for online accounts on anything always ask yourself "Do they need this information to do business with me?".  If they don't then go to another website.
- The majority of time there is no reason why you should have to give your birth date for anything.