The Top Ten Things You Can Do to Protect Your Privacy This Year
Do you have some cool new gadget on your holiday wish list? Maybe a fast new laptop to replace the 20 kilo desktop you’re currently using? Maybe a sleek new smart phone with texting and an Internet plan or the latest iPod? If you’re like most young Canadians, it’s likely that you have something similar on your list.
We don’t want to take any of the fun out of the technologies you love to use, but since you use them – A LOT (95% of you go online from home, 80% of you do this on your own, with no parents around) - we figured you could use some tips on how to keep your online identity secure. So, while you’re tweaking the apps on your new smart phone, here are the top ten things you can do to protect your privacy:
1. Think before you click. Don’t do or say anything online that you wouldn’t do or say offline.
2. Know who your friends are. Online, you can’t be 100% sure of who you’re talking to. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know in real life.
3. Pay attention to privacy settings. Privacy settings on social networking sites control what people can see about you. Only allow your friends to see your page, your posts, your photos and your applications.
4. Protect your physical safety. What you post online can affect your personal safety – especially if you tell people where you are going to be at specific times.
5. Keep your password safe and change it regularly. Choose a password that can’t be easily guessed (don’t use your dog’s name!) and keep it safe.
6. Trust your instincts. Never assume that what you put online is completely private. You are ultimately responsible for the photos, videos and comments that you post.
7. Be ultra-careful with your social insurance number. Identity theft is a growing problem and the Internet can be the least private of spaces. Never post personal details such as your SIN number, phone number, home address or birth date.
8. Protect your e-mail address. Make sure you are dealing with a real person or company before you give them your e-mail address. If you’re unsure, phone and check it out – anything promising instant money is usually a scam.
9. Protect your privacy – and your friends’ privacy too. Check what your friends are posting and saying about you – even if you’re careful, they may not be and could put you at risk. Similarly, make sure you get their OK before posting a comment, or a picture of them, online.
10. Be discreet. Remember – what you post stays online forever, so if you don’t want future job and college interviewers to see it, don’t post it!