Today is Data Privacy Day

Have you thought about how your personal information is collected, shared, and stored online as your surf the Internet? Here are some tips on how to keep your information secure:

Smartphones and Mobile Devices

•  Your smartphone contains a host of personal information about you. Secure your phone with a strong passcode or other privacy feature.
• Think before you text. Keep in mind how the message might be read before you send it. Be aware that texts can be forwarded.
• Only give your mobile number out to people you know and trust and never give anyone else's number out without their permission. When in doubt, don’t respond. Text and call only the people and businesses you know in real life.
• Make sure you know how to block others from calling your phone. Using caller ID, you can block all incoming calls or block individual names and numbers.
• Make sure you have someone’s permission before taking pictures or videos of them with your phone. Likewise, make sure you’re comfortable before allowing someone to take pictures or videos of you.
• Learn how to disable the geotagging feature on your phone at icanstalku.com.
• Smartphones store and transmit a wide range of personal data which third parties can obtain access to – often without the user’s awareness or consent ‐‐ including contact lists, pictures, browsing history, certain identifying information and stored location data.
• Research apps before you download them. Apps on smartphones can transfer unique IDs (essentially supercookies), phone numbers, demographic information and location data to ad companies without users’ consent. Your unique ID, together with your location, age and sex, are valuable information to marketers. Most apps do not have privacy policies. Consumers who download apps often don't know what information they are revealing about themselves, to whom and for what purpose.
• If your phone is lost or stolen, report it to your local police station and your network operator immediately.
• Learn about Privacy in the Age of the Smartphone offered by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn, etc.)

•  STOP. THINK CONNECT. Think carefully about the kinds of information, comments, photos and videos you share online.
• Know your audience: Consider who may have access to your profile: family, friends, friends of friends, your school, college admissions officers, potential employers. Use available privacy settings to manage your audience.
• Own your online presence: When available, set the privacy and security settings on websites to your personal comfort level for information sharing. Do not rely on “recommended” settings or default settings. Make your own decisions. It's okay to limit who you share information with. It is okay to not accept a friend request.
• Your online reputation can be a good thing: Recruiters often respond to a strong, positive personal brand online. So show your smarts, thoughtfulness, and mastery of the digital environment.
• Your privacy is only as protected as your least reliable friend allows it to be: Keep in mind that privacy settings protect information from people you choose to exclude from your personal networks. When you choose to share information with friends, those friends can make their own decisions about forwarding your content. Avoid sharing compromising photos and information. Think carefully before sharing.
• Make passwords long and strong: Combine capital and lowercase letters with numbers and symbols to create a more secure password. To protect your privacy, don’t share your passwords with others.
• As a general rule, do not share the following information on a profile page: your phone numbers, home address, full date of birth, travel plans, social security number, passwords, family financial information, bank or credit card numbers.

Want more?  Visit http://bit.ly/A8dHCK for more details on how to keep your information secure.