Member of The Internet Defense League

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

You and your online Privacy : Data Privacy Day.

Today is Data Privacy Day - January 28, 2015

​ Data Privacy Day (DPD) is an effort to empower people to protect their privacy, control their digital footprint and escalate the protection of privacy and data as everyone’s priority.  Held annually on January 28th, Data Privacy Day aims to increase awareness of privacy and data protection issues among consumers, organizations, and government officials. DPD helps industry, academia, and advocates to highlight consumer privacy efforts.​
twitter: @DataPrivacyDay

What is Data Privacy?

Data privacy, also called information privacy, is the aspect of information technology (IT) that deals with the ability an organization or individual has to determine what data in a computer system can be shared with third parties.

Why is data privacy important?

  • Everyone's trying to track what you do on the Web, it's no secret that there's big money to be made in violating your privacy.
  • "One of the most invisible things about the Internet is that there are hordes of robots constantly scrutinizing your aggregate online behavior and determining whether you fit a certain profile.. What determines whether you look like you have something to hide? The robot builders have it in their best interests to keep that secret: otherwise, the people with something to hide would simply start gaming the system. Yet this can also result in a chilling effect: innocent people self-censoring their online behavior based on what they think the robots might be looking for." says Atul Verma (@toolness) in his write up about why privacy matters.
  • Sometimes data privacy can be a juggling act in multinational organizations when it comes to fulfilling the needs of the organization and complying with local privacy laws.
  • Ultimately, data privacy boils down to protecting the rights of the individual to prevent others from stealing their identity, knowing their personal information and much more.

Data Privacy Day: What I can do?

  • Use HTTPS and SSL Whenever Possible:
    • Always use a secure browser. Look for “https” at the beginning of the web address (the “s” stands for “secure”). Access your accounts from a secure location, using computers and networks that you know are safe and secure.
    • Avoid using public networks and always look for the padlock icon in the corner of the browser, signaling that the website is encrypted.
    • The major benefits of a HTTPS certificate are:
      • Customer information, like credit card numbers, is encrypted and cannot be intercepted.
      • Visitors can verify you are a registered business and that you own the domain.
      • Customers are more likely to trust and complete purchases from sites that use HTTPS
    • more..  
  • Create secure Passwords and keep them private:
    • Your passwords should be more than 6 characters and contain letters, numbers and special characters.
    • Mix upper and lower case letters.
    • Don’t use personal information or dictionary words.
    • Hackers use software to enter random dictionary words to help them determine your password.
    • more..
  • Use a Master Password to protect stored logins and passwords :
    • Firefox can save usernames and passwords that you use to access online services, such as banking and email websites.
    • If you share a computer with anyone, it is recommended that you use a master password.
    • more..
  • Don’t Overshare on Social Media:
    • Go through your privacy settings on each site and determine what is a good amount of privacy protection.
    • Consider keeping your profile limited to only certain groups or friends.
    • Never post your personal information such as Social Security number, date of birth or your full name in a public place.
  • Use a search engine that does not track you:
    • A search engine that does not collect or share any of your personal information. 
    • A search engine which has no search history, profile or anything else stored, sold, or given to third parties. Sounds like no search engine like that exists?
    • Yes, it does. Check out : DuckDuckGo
    • read more about this and why you should be concerned : https://duckduckgo.com/privacy
    • more..
       
  • Beware of Scammers:
    • If you receive a suspicious email from a business and you’re not sure if it’s legitimate, close the email, open a new browser, type in their web address and contact them through their customer service.
    • You should know that scammers are real and they will try to steal your personal information if they come across it.
    • Never give out your personal information over the Internet, phone, mail or via text message, unless you know exactly who you are dealing with.
  • Keep yourself safe online. How?
    • Do not reveal personal information inadvertently.
    • Turn on cookie notices in your Web browser, and/or use cookie management software or infomediaries.
    • Don't reveal personal details to strangers or just-met "friends".
    • Keep a "clean" e-mail address.
    • Realize you may be monitored at work, avoid sending highly personal e-mail to mailing lists, and keep sensitive files on your home computer.
    • Beware sites that offer some sort of reward or prize in exchange for your data.
    • Do not reply to spammers, for any reason.
    • Be conscious of Web security.
    • Be conscious of home computer security.
    • Examine privacy policies and seals.
    • Remember that YOU decide what information about yourself to reveal, when, why, and to whom
    • Use encryption!
    • more..  
  • Many of us use public wifi networks where ever we can access them. They are a boon enabling us to be online when we need. But are we paying enough attention on are we protecting ourselves and our data on these networks. Below are some tips about the same:
    • Turn Off Sharing
    • Enable Your Firewall
    • Consider Using a Virtual Private Network
    • Turn Wi-Fi Off When You Aren't Using It
    • Automate Your Public Wi-Fi Security Settings
    • more..
  • Shopping online and using e-commerce sites has become a frequent activity online. Most of us shop online for various reasons. While doing this do we think about our data privacy and security. Below are some basic tips to follow while shopping online next time.
    • Look for the Lock: Never ever, ever buy anything online using your credit card from a site that doesn't have SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption installed—at the very least.
       
    • See if the url of the shopping website begins with https:// While non secure sites and pages begin with http://, secure sites begin with https://
    • Don't Tell All: No online shopping store needs your social security number or your birthday to do business. 
    • Disregard any unsolicited or t suspicious looking pop-ups that appear during your online banking/shopping session.
    • more..
  •  Learn, Teach and share about data privacy:

What we are doing today, join us!

Tips:

Useful links to read through:

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2 comments:

  1. Unknown21 May 2015 at 00:43

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    ReplyDelete
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