I think I’m the only person on the planet who has received less than 10 spam mails ever. But still I’m aware how much personal information I reveal on the web (including here).
My girlfriend sometimes calls me paranoid about my attempts at protecting my personal data - and every once in a while I read articles like this:
My stance is: I am indeed more worried about leaks in private companies such as the above, than the state (well, I’m not wild about passenger lists and SWIFT transactions given to the US government), but I personally think that my personal habits, interests etc. are no one’s business. And I do fear that crossreferencing of seemingly harmless data can be bad for an individual.
What are my esteemed t-colleague’s views on this?
Do you try to keep a low profile?
Are you careful with your personal data?
Do you think being overprotective of my data makes me a conspiracy kook?
[quote]makkun wrote:
Do you try to keep a low profile?
Are you careful with your personal data?
Do you think being overprotective of my data makes me a conspiracy kook?
Makkun[/quote]
Yes, yes, and no. There’s no such thing as being overprotective in internet security.
Think common sense here: there are exactly two kinds of viable security options with a computer… none or maximum.
What’s the point of having a half-assed firewall? It’s the same as having none.
As to zealously guarding personal data, that’s just common sense too. Do you wander around and hand out your ID card to strangers everywhere you go? Of course not.
The internet is not like real life. If you don’t take precautions and maintain them, you can get “pickpocketed” over a computer far easier than getting your wallet stolen.
You are a conspiracy kook if you think that the internet is controlled by the Illuminati as a tool to keep us blind and stupid so they can do whatever it is that worldwide evil organizations do. It’s probably got something to do with laser beams, puppies, and cheddar cheese. Ask ssn0, he’s like an expert on them or something.
Do you try to keep a low profile?
Are you careful with your personal data?
Do you think being overprotective of my data makes me a conspiracy kook?
Makkun[/quote]
I buy things over the internet so I am not sure how much of a “low profile” that is. I have never given out my real name on message boards or on email services.
I think those of you claiming you want a low profile should have been much more vocal about the Patriot Act and other such moves. Eventually, there will be no privacy over the internet. As society uses it more and more, your info (like medical and financial data) will be available through it.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Eventually, there will be no privacy over the internet. As society uses it more and more, your info (like medical and financial data) will be available through it.[/quote]
Prof: Medical data is going nowhere near the internet unless you the patient provide it of your own free will. You can thank HIPAA laws for that. If somebody like me were to share your medical data, losing my job is just the beginning. I can face revocation of my professional license and even jail time.
I try to limit the places where I must disclose personal details about myself.
For example, I don’t fill in sweepstakes coupons to win trips or cars or whatever. I also refuse to give governmental IDs to private enterprises (driver’s licence, social security, etc.) as it is none of their business.
All personal data on my home computers is kept on encrypted volumes. If someone breaks in and steals the computers, he gets the hardware, but won’t have access to my home pictures, budget spreadsheets or IRS filings for the past 10 years. I keep backups at work, so that the data can be restored in case of theft or destruction.
I use “do not call” list to prevent telemarketers from contacting me (Canadian URL here: https://cornerstonewebmedia.com/cma/submit.asp ) Of course giving your info to “not be called” is a bit paradoxical, but since filling it out, phone calls and junk mail have dropped noticeably.
Another thing I do is to use the “middle initial” to track where I give my info. If I buy something at amazon.com, I’m Pookie A. Smith; on Ebay, I’m Pookie E. Smith, at Best Buy I’m Pookie B. Smith and so on. That way, when I get mail adressed to Pookie B, I know who’s selling my info.
I’ve also ordered my credit report from Equifax and had a mistake corrected. Doing so also allows you to verify all the credit cards issued in your name. I found one that had been issued as part of a financing plan when I bought furniture years ago. It wasn’t being used at all and I had it cancelled.
[quote]lothario1132 wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Eventually, there will be no privacy over the internet. As society uses it more and more, your info (like medical and financial data) will be available through it.
Prof: Medical data is going nowhere near the internet unless you the patient provide it of your own free will. You can thank HIPAA laws for that. If somebody like me were to share your medical data, losing my job is just the beginning. I can face revocation of my professional license and even jail time.[/quote]
Actually, there are data chips that can be implanted that allow access to important medical data. I understand HIPAA laws and thank God for them. I just think that as info becomes more and more related to electronic data (some offices now keep all patient records on computer file with no hard copies) it will be easier for people to access illegally. No, you can’t discuss private patient info to others. That doesn’t mean it CAN’T happen.
[quote]pookie wrote:
I’ve also ordered my credit report from Equifax and had a mistake corrected. Doing so also allows you to verify all the credit cards issued in your name. I found one that had been issued as part of a financing plan when I bought furniture years ago. It wasn’t being used at all and I had it cancelled.
[/quote]
I’ve had my wallet stolen before (when in college) and had several attempts to apply for credit cards through it. It was a pain in the ass for YEARS. I try to be much more careful about all of that now.
I shred or cut up credit card offers (which I get way too damn many of). I am beginning to feel as if a paper shredder is a necessity in life.
[quote]pookie wrote:
I try to limit the places where I must disclose personal details about myself.
For example, I don’t fill in sweepstakes coupons to win trips or cars or whatever. I also refuse to give governmental IDs to private enterprises (driver’s licence, social security, etc.) as it is none of their business.
All personal data on my home computers is kept on encrypted volumes. If someone breaks in and steals the computers, he gets the hardware, but won’t have access to my home pictures, budget spreadsheets or IRS filings for the past 10 years. I keep backups at work, so that the data can be restored in case of theft or destruction.
I use “do not call” list to prevent telemarketers from contacting me (Canadian URL here: https://cornerstonewebmedia.com/cma/submit.asp ) Of course giving your info to “not be called” is a bit paradoxical, but since filling it out, phone calls and junk mail have dropped noticeably.
Another thing I do is to use the “middle initial” to track where I give my info. If I buy something at amazon.com, I’m Pookie A. Smith; on Ebay, I’m Pookie E. Smith, at Best Buy I’m Pookie B. Smith and so on. That way, when I get mail adressed to Pookie B, I know who’s selling my info.
I’ve also ordered my credit report from Equifax and had a mistake corrected. Doing so also allows you to verify all the credit cards issued in your name. I found one that had been issued as part of a financing plan when I bought furniture years ago. It wasn’t being used at all and I had it cancelled.
[/quote]
Good ideas, I like the middle initial thing.
I’ve been ordering my credit bureau files from all three agencys once a quarter for years. It may be overkill but I’ve found mistakes on one that might not be on the other two. Better safe than sorry and its cheap.
You can now get all three credit reports once a year for free from:
My wife is actually going to get a new SSN on September 12 after almost 4 years of trying to clear her credit and to get several Arkansas chicken plants to quit hiring people using her SSN. Huge, huge pain in the ass.
You can never be too safe in protecting your data. I practically have a love affair with my shredder. Anything that comes in the mail that I even thing might be used against me gets shredded. I try to keep up-to-date firewall and internet security protection and I do not give out any personal information over the phone. I will take time off from work to go to offices to handle business rather than do it over the phone.
I might be more than a little paranoid in this regard, but I know a few people that have been victims of ID theft and it is not pretty.
[quote]ALDurr wrote:
You can never be too safe in protecting your data. I practically have a love affair with my shredder. Anything that comes in the mail that I even thing might be used against me gets shredded. I try to keep up-to-date firewall and internet security protection and I do not give out any personal information over the phone. I will take time off from work to go to offices to handle business rather than do it over the phone.
I might be more than a little paranoid in this regard, but I know a few people that have been victims of ID theft and it is not pretty.[/quote]
So I guess the real question is, how little is too little focus on protecting personal info? I buy things over the internet almost out of necessity. I’m a big guy and can’t find clothes my size in styles I like in most stores off the rack. If they do sell my size, most of them are gone before I get there. Also, supplements are a big part of my life. Should I get raped at GNC just to avoid the possible info leak?
Unless you do all your transaction in person and pay cash, using a credit card at a store is not any safer than using it over the internet.
Make sure you do business with a reputable retailer; verify that the pages you’re putting your CC info into begin with “HTTPS://” (or that you have the little padlock icon).
If you think your PC has been infected with something (slow, a lot of pop-ups, weird crashes) don’t use it for banking or shopping until you’re certain it’s clean.
NEVER give out info by answering emails from your bank or PayPal or whatever. If you’re concerned about some possible security issue, look up their support number and call them. Never trust a communication (whether it’d be email, phone, fax) that you didn’t initiate yourself.
As for personal info, I use a shredder also, but the goal is not “perfect security” but to raise the bar. Someone looking through my trash could pick out all the little shredded pieces and puzzle them back together. BUT is is much more likely that he’ll say “fuck it” and move on to someone’s unshredded garbage.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
ALDurr wrote:
You can never be too safe in protecting your data. I practically have a love affair with my shredder. Anything that comes in the mail that I even thing might be used against me gets shredded. I try to keep up-to-date firewall and internet security protection and I do not give out any personal information over the phone. I will take time off from work to go to offices to handle business rather than do it over the phone because some people are not trustworthy and I don’t have the time to figure out who they are.
I might be more than a little paranoid in this regard, but I know a few people that have been victims of ID theft and it is not pretty.
So I guess the real question is, how little is too little focus on protecting personal info? I buy things over the internet almost out of necessity. I’m a big guy and can’t find clothes my size in styles I like in most stores off the rack. If they do sell my size, most of them are gone before I get there. Also, supplements are a big part of my life. Should I get raped at GNC just to avoid the possible info leak?[/quote]
I’m with you on the clothes thing. I wear XXL myself and on top of that, I have long-ass arms. I feel your pain on that.
I guess one solution is to take as many precautions as you can and hope for the best. I grew up around criminal minded people and a couple of things that they said to me stood out: “The harder you make things on me, the less likely I am going to take things from you. It becomes not worth the effort after a while.”
Also, “You can have as many locks, alarms, guard dogs and guns that you want to. A really determined thief will find a way to break into your house if they think what you have is worth it.” I know that this is no comfort, but it is the best that I know.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
ALDurr wrote:
I grew up around criminal minded people.
You too? Wussup, bruh![/quote]
Wussup, man! Yeah bruh, I was around criminals. I was a smart, chubby kid with glasses, but my big brother made sure that I could fight, so the criminals had respect for me. I wouldn’t let anyone take me for a punk and that was something that they didn’t expect from the smart, chubby kid with glasses. I messed up their perspective. I also helped a few them with schoolwork, so I was somewhat protected after that.
I never give my private email address except to “trusted” recipients, I have a less private one I use for more official purposes, and often give my work address (let the IT department deal with spam) and for suspected spammers, there is http://www.spamgourmet.com/
on occasion, I sometimes use http://www.bugmenot.com/ when I do not trust a website with my data
every letter that seems like direct mail get’s returned to sender unopened (they’ll contact me again if it’s really important)
all personal papers get shredded before they go out. “Return to Sender” is a magic word which greatly reduces your unwanted mail.
I never accept a business proposition that has been offered to me without me asking in the first place - a principle I learnt from my dad.
On a political note (and one thing the Professor said earlier): I would be worried about the PATRIOT act if I were from the States. But also in the UK there is data gathering a plenty - and as a Londoner, I star on CCTV about 600 times a day. I think there is a delicate balance between security and freedom - and it has been tipping more towards security in the last few years.
I guess if someone (or an official agency) is really committed, you have not chance to protect your privacy anyway. But I think it makes sense to be vigilant in the private sphere to keep an eye on what data you give out about yourself. I’m thinking blogs, myspace, personal websites, posting of pictures, etc.
Makkun
PS: Quick question for the techies - how about email encryption. I never understood it really, but I’d like to learn. Anyone an expert here?
I’ve always been careful with personal data, be it electronic, regular mail or by telephone. I have, in fact, been a miserable sod about it. Then the Army lost thousands of personal records to include social security numbers. F’ing great!
If you’re filling some form on the web and they ask for an email address, you can give them a disposable one.
I use the site “mailinator.com” which allows you to make up and email address and to later check the inbox. The email is kept for a few days and then deleted.
So, for example, I want to try Software X, but they require me to fill a form with my email and they email me the final link to download the software. I simply make up an address like kissmypookie@mailinator.com and then check the inbox by going to the site www.mailinator.com. The confirmation email is sitting there, with the link. I download my software and never again am bothered by Software Company.
Just make sure to use a name that unique enough so that others won’t access your inbox; and, of course, don’t use it for sensitive data, since it’s more like a public drop than a real inbox.