The internet knows a lot about you. It’s probably a lot more than you want. Internet privacy companies typically find more than 300 pieces of personal information when they do a privacy audit. This includes personal information about you and your family members. It might encompass addresses, phone numbers, pictures and credit card information.
It’s not hard for strangers to learn about you. There are companies that make it their business to gather private information, consolidate it and expose it where it’s easily accessible. There are over 70 people-search sites where your information may be sitting, just waiting for anyone to come along and read it.
Hackers and phishers never sleep. They’re constantly finding ways to collect passwords, social security numbers and credit card numbers.
Fortunately, there’s a way to remove your information from all those sites. An internet privacy company continuously scans the internet, searching for your name and all its variations. It removes all references to you and your loved ones that are out there where you don’t want them.
What’s a Data Breach?
Hardly a day goes by without the news of a well-known company that’s suffered a data breach. A data breach is an event that exposes private or confidential data. If your credit card company is breached, a hacker may have your card number plus any other information the institution has on its database.
Data breaches will continue to take place, but there are ways of preventing a data breach from harming you. There are best practices that you can take to minimize your exposure.
- Safeguard your devices. If you carry your laptop, don’t leave it out of your sight and not locked up.
- Use protected websites. Look for the lock icon. Make sure the address starts with https:// and not just http://.
- Use strong passwords with upper and lower case, numerals and special characters. Don’t use the same password across sites where an intruder can do you harm.
- Regularly check your bank and credit card statements.
- Check your credit report to make sure no one’s opened an account you don’t know about.
It’s a lot easier to keep your information secure than to stop the damage once it’s stolen.
Keeping Your System Up To Date
Has your computer ever failed to boot up or otherwise acted strange? Often that’s because you haven’t installed the latest maintenance. Software vendors are constantly learning about new viruses and other threats, and they update their products to thwart them. That’s why it’s important to update your software regularly.
Software companies routinely push their updates, and many computers are set up to routinely accept them. However, some people don’t understand the process and aren’t sure whether they have the latest version. A reputable online privacy company can ensure that this vital activity is taken care of.
