16 Dec Data Privacy Day: Awareness & Protection
Data Privacy Day: Awareness & Protection
Did you know?
- Every 2 seconds there is a new victim of identity theft.
- Data breaches exposed 36 billion records in the first half of 2020 alone
How does it get collected?
There are tons of obscure ways your personal information is shared or available online such as obituaries which often include lists of the names and locations of all relatives.
Other ways are through newspaper articles or letters to the editor, and meeting minutes from public hearings.
It can even be shared through personal reviews of products/shops.
Less obscure ways are through social media, online shopping, breaches in credit information and more.
9 Ways to Protect Yourself from Data Exposure:
- Change your passwords. When your account is breached, make sure to change all your passwords that are the same as the breached account. Trust us; it’s worth it!
- Invest in a password protector or write down your passwords. Please write down your passwords in a notebook and store them safely or invest in an encrypted password protector.
- Watch your bank statements. Check your bank statements regularly for fraudulent charges and report them as soon as possible!
- File your taxes early. One common scam is for identity thieves to file a tax return in your name to get a refund, so make sure you get your return in before they can. Also, don’t believe anyone who says they’re calling from the IRS!
- Set up a fraud alert with your bank. In case you can’t regularly check your bank statements, set up a fraud alert, so you are notified of any irregular charges on your account.
- Never use your debit card online. Only use credit cards on the Internet to ensure you get your money back, if your account is hacked.
- Use sentences rather than passwords. The longer your password is, the harder it is to hack. Also, write a sentence that is not related to you in any way! Don’t use your birthday as a password as well.
- Be careful on public Wi-Fi. If you’re using the Internet through a public Wi-Fi connection that doesn’t require a password (like one at a coffee shop or store), you’re probably using an unencrypted network. This makes it possible for someone to see the websites you visit and even the information you type into specific forms, including credit card numbers.
- When in doubt, throw it out. Links in email, social media posts, and online advertising are often how cybercriminals try to steal your personal information. So even if you know the source, if something looks suspicious, delete it.
Red Flags of Data Privacy: Things to lookout For
- Urgent Emails or Messages: If it requires you to respond in a crisis,
the message is likely spam. - Grandchild Scams: Beware of criminals who pose as grandchildren and ask for financial assistance.
- Government Scams: Watch out if anyone calls or emails asking for your tax information.
- Pirating sites: Downloading (or torrenting) music, movies, and TV
shows for free is tempting, but itʼs best not to use torrent websites. - Romance Scams: Watch out for people who pose as interested romantic partners on dating websites or social media, and ask you for money.
Be safe online! The FTC reported that 35% of fraud complaints and 18.9% of identity theft complaints in 2017 were from older adults. Ask for help if you see
something suspicious!
How to Create a Plan for Your Digital Assets
Consider what you want to happen with your digital legacy when creating your estate plan.
You have probably used the Internet and created an online presence throughout your life. For example, you may have an email account and social media sites to keep up with loved ones. Or you may contribute to a blog or sell items on Amazon or eBay.
Regardless of where you interact online, it’s essential to consider your digital assets when creating your estate plan. Ultimately, estate planning instruments do not allow you to transfer ownership in online accounts or other forms of digital presence to your heirs. Instead, you hold these accounts only by a license, based on your contract with the company that offers the accounts.
However, online accounts still can feature in your end-of-life decisions because access will significantly ease the process of terminating your accounts. The first step is to identify the accounts you need to add to your will.
Consider:
1. social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
2. blogs and licensed domain names
3. your presence in online communities or listserves
4. music, photos, or other files that you store online
5. seller’s accounts on Amazon, eBay, or Itsy, and
6. access to financial accounts or utilities
Next, leave instructions for your executor about what to do with (and how to access) your online accounts.
The easiest way to do this is to write your instructions and log-in information in a letter and store the letter with your other estate planning documents — this way, your executor does not need to petition companies directly for access.
Did you know?
- Every 2 seconds there is a new victim of identity theft.
- Data breaches exposed 36 billion records in the first half of 2020 alone
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How does it get collected?
There are tons of obscure ways your personal information is shared or available online such as obituaries which often include lists of the names and locations of all relatives.
Other ways are through newspaper articles or letters to the editor, and meeting minutes from public hearings.
It can even be shared through personal reviews of products/shops.
Less obscure ways are through social media, online shopping, breaches in credit information and more.
9 Ways to Protect Yourself from Data Exposure:
- Change your passwords. When your account is breached, make sure to change all your passwords that are the same as the breached account. Trust us; it’s worth it!
- Invest in a password protector or write down your passwords. Please write down your passwords in a notebook and store them safely or invest in an encrypted password protector.
- Watch your bank statements. Check your bank statements regularly for fraudulent charges and report them as soon as possible!
- File your taxes early. One common scam is for identity thieves to file a tax return in your name to get a refund, so make sure you get your return in before they can. Also, don’t believe anyone who says they’re calling from the IRS!
- Set up a fraud alert with your bank. In case you can’t regularly check your bank statements, set up a fraud alert, so you are notified of any irregular charges on your account.
- Never use your debit card online. Only use credit cards on the Internet to ensure you get your money back, if your account is hacked.
- Use sentences rather than passwords. The longer your password is, the harder it is to hack. Also, write a sentence that is not related to you in any way! Don’t use your birthday as a password as well.
- Be careful on public Wi-Fi. If you’re using the Internet through a public Wi-Fi connection that doesn’t require a password (like one at a coffee shop or store), you’re probably using an unencrypted network. This makes it possible for someone to see the websites you visit and even the information you type into specific forms, including credit card numbers.
- When in doubt, throw it out. Links in email, social media posts, and online advertising are often how cybercriminals try to steal your personal information. So even if you know the source, if something looks suspicious, delete it.
Red Flags of Data Privacy: Things to lookout For
- Urgent Emails or Messages: If it requires you to respond in a crisis,
the message is likely spam. - Grandchild Scams: Beware of criminals who pose as grandchildren and ask for financial assistance.
- Government Scams: Watch out if anyone calls or emails asking for your tax information.
- Pirating sites: Downloading (or torrenting) music, movies, and TV
shows for free is tempting, but itʼs best not to use torrent websites. - Romance Scams: Watch out for people who pose as interested romantic partners on dating websites or social media, and ask you for money.
Be safe online! The FTC reported that 35% of fraud complaints and 18.9% of identity theft complaints in 2017 were from older adults. Ask for help if you see
something suspicious!
How to Create a Plan for Your Digital Assets
Consider what you want to happen with your digital legacy when creating your estate plan.
You have probably used the Internet and created an online presence throughout your life. For example, you may have an email account and social media sites to keep up with loved ones. Or you may contribute to a blog or sell items on Amazon or eBay.
Regardless of where you interact online, it’s essential to consider your digital assets when creating your estate plan. Ultimately, estate planning instruments do not allow you to transfer ownership in online accounts or other forms of digital presence to your heirs. Instead, you hold these accounts only by a license, based on your contract with the company that offers the accounts.
However, online accounts still can feature in your end-of-life decisions because access will significantly ease the process of terminating your accounts. The first step is to identify the accounts you need to add to your will.
Consider:
1. social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
2. blogs and licensed domain names
3. your presence in online communities or listserves
4. music, photos, or other files that you store online
5. seller’s accounts on Amazon, eBay, or Itsy, and
6. access to financial accounts or utilities
Next, leave instructions for your executor about what to do with (and how to access) your online accounts.
The easiest way to do this is to write your instructions and log-in information in a letter and store the letter with your other estate planning documents — this way, your executor does not need to petition companies directly for access.
Data privacy, or information privacy, involves the protection of data with regard to its collection, usage, and distribution. “Data” in the case of data privacy typically refers to any information that could personally identify someone, such as their name, address, phone number, social security number, credit card information, or their username and password, among other things.
Did you know?
- Every 2 seconds there is a new victim of identity theft.
- Data breaches exposed 36 billion records in the first half of 2020 alone
[/vc_column_text]
How does it get collected?
There are tons of obscure ways your personal information is shared or available online such as obituaries which often include lists of the names and locations of all relatives.
Other ways are through newspaper articles or letters to the editor, and meeting minutes from public hearings.
It can even be shared through personal reviews of products/shops.
Less obscure ways are through social media, online shopping, breaches in credit information and more.
9 Ways to Protect Yourself from Data Exposure:
- Change your passwords. When your account is breached, make sure to change all your passwords that are the same as the breached account. Trust us; it’s worth it!
- Invest in a password protector or write down your passwords. Please write down your passwords in a notebook and store them safely or invest in an encrypted password protector.
- Watch your bank statements. Check your bank statements regularly for fraudulent charges and report them as soon as possible!
- File your taxes early. One common scam is for identity thieves to file a tax return in your name to get a refund, so make sure you get your return in before they can. Also, don’t believe anyone who says they’re calling from the IRS!
- Set up a fraud alert with your bank. In case you can’t regularly check your bank statements, set up a fraud alert, so you are notified of any irregular charges on your account.
- Never use your debit card online. Only use credit cards on the Internet to ensure you get your money back, if your account is hacked.
- Use sentences rather than passwords. The longer your password is, the harder it is to hack. Also, write a sentence that is not related to you in any way! Don’t use your birthday as a password as well.
- Be careful on public Wi-Fi. If you’re using the Internet through a public Wi-Fi connection that doesn’t require a password (like one at a coffee shop or store), you’re probably using an unencrypted network. This makes it possible for someone to see the websites you visit and even the information you type into specific forms, including credit card numbers.
- When in doubt, throw it out. Links in email, social media posts, and online advertising are often how cybercriminals try to steal your personal information. So even if you know the source, if something looks suspicious, delete it.
Red Flags of Data Privacy: Things to lookout For
- Urgent Emails or Messages: If it requires you to respond in a crisis,
the message is likely spam. - Grandchild Scams: Beware of criminals who pose as grandchildren and ask for financial assistance.
- Government Scams: Watch out if anyone calls or emails asking for your tax information.
- Pirating sites: Downloading (or torrenting) music, movies, and TV
shows for free is tempting, but itʼs best not to use torrent websites. - Romance Scams: Watch out for people who pose as interested romantic partners on dating websites or social media, and ask you for money.
Be safe online! The FTC reported that 35% of fraud complaints and 18.9% of identity theft complaints in 2017 were from older adults. Ask for help if you see
something suspicious!
How to Create a Plan for Your Digital Assets
Consider what you want to happen with your digital legacy when creating your estate plan.
You have probably used the Internet and created an online presence throughout your life. For example, you may have an email account and social media sites to keep up with loved ones. Or you may contribute to a blog or sell items on Amazon or eBay.
Regardless of where you interact online, it’s essential to consider your digital assets when creating your estate plan. Ultimately, estate planning instruments do not allow you to transfer ownership in online accounts or other forms of digital presence to your heirs. Instead, you hold these accounts only by a license, based on your contract with the company that offers the accounts.
However, online accounts still can feature in your end-of-life decisions because access will significantly ease the process of terminating your accounts. The first step is to identify the accounts you need to add to your will.
Consider:
1. social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
2. blogs and licensed domain names
3. your presence in online communities or listserves
4. music, photos, or other files that you store online
5. seller’s accounts on Amazon, eBay, or Itsy, and
6. access to financial accounts or utilities
Next, leave instructions for your executor about what to do with (and how to access) your online accounts.
The easiest way to do this is to write your instructions and log-in information in a letter and store the letter with your other estate planning documents — this way, your executor does not need to petition companies directly for access.
In honor of Data Privacy Day on January 28th, learn more about data privacy, how data gets collected and what to do to protect yourself
What is Data Privacy?
Data privacy, or information privacy, involves the protection of data with regard to its collection, usage, and distribution. “Data” in the case of data privacy typically refers to any information that could personally identify someone, such as their name, address, phone number, social security number, credit card information, or their username and password, among other things.
Did you know?
- Every 2 seconds there is a new victim of identity theft.
- Data breaches exposed 36 billion records in the first half of 2020 alone
[/vc_column_text]
How does it get collected?
There are tons of obscure ways your personal information is shared or available online such as obituaries which often include lists of the names and locations of all relatives.
Other ways are through newspaper articles or letters to the editor, and meeting minutes from public hearings.
It can even be shared through personal reviews of products/shops.
Less obscure ways are through social media, online shopping, breaches in credit information and more.
9 Ways to Protect Yourself from Data Exposure:
- Change your passwords. When your account is breached, make sure to change all your passwords that are the same as the breached account. Trust us; it’s worth it!
- Invest in a password protector or write down your passwords. Please write down your passwords in a notebook and store them safely or invest in an encrypted password protector.
- Watch your bank statements. Check your bank statements regularly for fraudulent charges and report them as soon as possible!
- File your taxes early. One common scam is for identity thieves to file a tax return in your name to get a refund, so make sure you get your return in before they can. Also, don’t believe anyone who says they’re calling from the IRS!
- Set up a fraud alert with your bank. In case you can’t regularly check your bank statements, set up a fraud alert, so you are notified of any irregular charges on your account.
- Never use your debit card online. Only use credit cards on the Internet to ensure you get your money back, if your account is hacked.
- Use sentences rather than passwords. The longer your password is, the harder it is to hack. Also, write a sentence that is not related to you in any way! Don’t use your birthday as a password as well.
- Be careful on public Wi-Fi. If you’re using the Internet through a public Wi-Fi connection that doesn’t require a password (like one at a coffee shop or store), you’re probably using an unencrypted network. This makes it possible for someone to see the websites you visit and even the information you type into specific forms, including credit card numbers.
- When in doubt, throw it out. Links in email, social media posts, and online advertising are often how cybercriminals try to steal your personal information. So even if you know the source, if something looks suspicious, delete it.
Red Flags of Data Privacy: Things to lookout For
- Urgent Emails or Messages: If it requires you to respond in a crisis,
the message is likely spam. - Grandchild Scams: Beware of criminals who pose as grandchildren and ask for financial assistance.
- Government Scams: Watch out if anyone calls or emails asking for your tax information.
- Pirating sites: Downloading (or torrenting) music, movies, and TV
shows for free is tempting, but itʼs best not to use torrent websites. - Romance Scams: Watch out for people who pose as interested romantic partners on dating websites or social media, and ask you for money.
Be safe online! The FTC reported that 35% of fraud complaints and 18.9% of identity theft complaints in 2017 were from older adults. Ask for help if you see
something suspicious!
How to Create a Plan for Your Digital Assets
Consider what you want to happen with your digital legacy when creating your estate plan.
You have probably used the Internet and created an online presence throughout your life. For example, you may have an email account and social media sites to keep up with loved ones. Or you may contribute to a blog or sell items on Amazon or eBay.
Regardless of where you interact online, it’s essential to consider your digital assets when creating your estate plan. Ultimately, estate planning instruments do not allow you to transfer ownership in online accounts or other forms of digital presence to your heirs. Instead, you hold these accounts only by a license, based on your contract with the company that offers the accounts.
However, online accounts still can feature in your end-of-life decisions because access will significantly ease the process of terminating your accounts. The first step is to identify the accounts you need to add to your will.
Consider:
1. social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
2. blogs and licensed domain names
3. your presence in online communities or listserves
4. music, photos, or other files that you store online
5. seller’s accounts on Amazon, eBay, or Itsy, and
6. access to financial accounts or utilities
Next, leave instructions for your executor about what to do with (and how to access) your online accounts.
The easiest way to do this is to write your instructions and log-in information in a letter and store the letter with your other estate planning documents — this way, your executor does not need to petition companies directly for access.