A Little Privacy Please?

Every time Facebook makes some sort of security update, like deciding to categorize users' location, interests and friends as public information, people get upset. When Google got everyone Buzzed, privacy leaders from other countries chimed in with their concerns. And last month, a group of US senators even asked the FTC to step in on internet privacy practices of social media sites. Clearly, everyone likes their privacy lately.

Protecting your personal info online is, and should be a real concern… and if companies are abusing the way they use and share info, we should all (continue to) let them know how we feel. But that shouldn’t stop you from putting some effort into protecting your own info. And it’s shocking that 1 in 4 US households that use Facebook either aren’t aware of, or choose not to utilize any privacy controls on the site (according to this recent Consumer Reports study).

First, don’t ignore the privacy settings of the social media sites you use. Whether you agree with it or not, when Facebook makes adjustments to how they share user info, you could be opted-in to new ways of sharing your info without realizing it. Now, even as Senator Schumer pointed out in his letter to the FTC, sites like Facebook that constantly change their privacy policies should do a better job of explaining how changes will affect how your info gets shared, but when you are alerted that changes have been made, investigate a bit and find out how those changes will affect you.

Once you lock down how your info gets shared, take a good look at the info you choose to post. This article points out some things that you should think twice about before posting freely on the web including: your full birthday, street address, names or ages of younger children and times or dates when you’ll be away from home. Sure, it’s a little paranoid but this is all info that could potentially hurt you in the wrong hands so there’s just no need to have it freely out there.

Finally, and this should be a no brainer… but use a strong password for sites that require you to log in (Facebook, your email, online banking… all of them!), and avoid using the same password over and over again. Strong passwords are the easiest way to put an extra barrier between your personal info and people that shouldn’t have access to it. Here’s how to make one.

Now from time to time, everyone might make a Blippy (my new word for making an online privacy mistake… if you don't know why, read this) and put some info out there that really should be kept private. But if you want to keep using social networking, take some time to understand how your info is being shared, and think about what you’re putting out there.