How to prevent your Pics from being lifted: Part 1 of 2

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You need not be a celebrity or some big wig to suffer the devastating fallout of your online images (and videos) being stolen or used without your permission.

10DSo how does someone steal your image or use it without your permission?

Hacking

  • Hacking is one way, especially if passwords are weak and the answers to security questions can easily be figured out (e.g., “Name of your first pet,” and on your Facebook page there’s a picture of you: “My very first dog, Snickers”).
  • Malware can be installed on your device if the operating system, browser or security software is out of date.
  • But hackers may also get into a cloud service depending on their and your level of security.

Cloud Services

  • In 2014, the images of celebrities and others were stolen from their iCloud accounts. At the time, two factor authentication was not available to consumers.
  • Apple did not take responsibility, claiming that the hackers guessed the passwords of the victims. This is entirely possible as many use the same passwords for multiple accounts. It is reported that Jennifer Lawrence’s and Kate Upton’s passwords really were123qwe and Password1, respectively.

Social Media

  • Got a pretty avatar for your Facebook page? Do you realize how easy it is for someone to “Save image as…”?
  • Yup, someone could right-click on your provocative image, save it and use it for some sex site.
  • And it’s not just images of adults being stolen. Images of children have been stolen and posted on porn sites.
  • Stolen photos are not always racy. A stolen image could be of an innocent child smiling with her hands on her cheeks.
  • The thief doesn’t necessarily post his loot on porn or sex sites. It could be for any service or product. But the point is: Your image is being used without your authorization.

Sexting

  • Kids and teens and of course adults are sending sexually explicit images of each other via smartphone. These photos can end up anywhere.
  • Applications exist that destroy the image moments after it appears to the sender.
  • These applications can be circumvented! Thus, the rule should be never, ever, ever send photos via smartphone that you would not want your fragile great-grandmother or your employer to view.

How can you protect your digital life?

  • Long, strong passwords—unique for every single account
  • Change your passwords regularly.
  • Firewall and up-to-date antivirus software
  • Make sure the answers to your security questions can’t be found online.
  • If any of your accounts have an option for two-factor authentication, then use it.
  • Never open attachments unless you’re expecting them.
  • Never click links inside e-mails unless you’re expecting them.

Stay tuned to Part 2 of How to prevent your Pics from being lifted to learn more.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.

How to Stop Sharing Your Location Information

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The Internet helps us connect and share with people around the world, but there are some people with whom you definitely shouldn’t be sharing your information. Although it’s not pleasant to think about, it’s not just friends and family that can see your online posts, bad guys can too, including criminals and even sex offenders.

7WSo, when you take a photo of your kids in your backyard, know that if you post that picture on social media, a predator can potentially obtain the GPS coordinates of where that picture was shot.

This is because every time you take a picture, technical data is created and stored along with the image. This is called “EXIF data”, or exchangeable image file format. When this data includes location information, such as the exact GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken, the image is then “geotagged.”

The good news is you can view the EXIF data, and remove it to prevent predators from getting your location information. EXIF data will always be added to the storage of every picture you take; there’s no way to prevent this. But you can delete it.

Here’s how to prevent strangers from seeing your location information:

  • Select the image on your computer and right-hand click on it.
  • Select “properties.” You’ll find all the data here.
  • Go to the location, or EXIF data.
  • At the end of all the information you’ll see “Remove Properties and Personal Information.” This will wipe out the coordinates.
  • You should go through this process before posting photos online, because once they’re online, you can’t control who sees this information.
  • However, it will still be worth your while to strip this data from photos already posted online. For all you know, tomorrow is the day that a bad guy reads your location information, so today is the day to delete it.

Some people’s social media pages have an endless scroll of personal photos, including pictures of their children and teens. Be very selective of what you post online, and always delete the EXIF data before posting.

Save the pictures you don’t post for a hardcopy photo album. That way you’ll dramatically cut down on the time spent eradicating your location information, while increasing your online security.

Here’s some more tips to use location services safely:

  • Turn off the GPS function on your smartphone camera or digital camera. This is important if you are going to be sharing your images online. Instructions on how to turn off geotagging will vary, but we suggest referring to your phone or camera’s manual for further instructions on how to adjust this feature. You also might want to consider only letting certain apps (like maps) use your location data on your mobile device.
  • Check your privacy settings on social networks and photo sharing sites. Make sure that you are only sharing information with friends and family. Also, make sure that you only accept people into your network that you know in real life.
  • Be aware of the fact that the information you share on one social network may be linked to another.For instance, a photo you post to Twitter may automatically post to your Facebook profile. Because of this, it’s important that you check the privacy settings on all your accounts.
  • Finally, be careful about what images you’re sharing and when you are sharing them.Rather than uploading a picture that reveals your location the moment you take it, wait until you get home to upload it.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Safety Expert to Intel Security. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked! Disclosures.

Mother Nature can ruin your business: Get ready for natural disasters now

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September is almost over. This means National Preparedness Month is nearing its end. Nevertheless, you must be prepared all year long to stay safe. National Preparedness Month culminates September 30th with National PrepareAthon Day.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-online-risks-sign-road-banner-image34668294In the boxing ring, if you focus on the knockout punches too much, the quick sharp jabs are what may bring you down. This is how some businesses approach their security. They put too much emphasis on preventing that mountainous data breach, while smaller everyday threats sneak by.

Those smaller threats may be difficult to get at, and they can knock you out for good. A company may have all eyes on that Russian hacking ring, a fire or hurricane. But threats come in all flavors.

A business just can’t use all its artillery against the “big” threats, because this will create non-flexible tactics that unravel in the face of an unexpected threat.

Unless company leaders are psychic, they can’t anticipate every possible threat. But being narrowly focused is no good, either. Here are some tips on how to widen that focus and plan for disaster:

  • Certainly, gear up for the “big” threats like natural disasters and brick-and-mortar crimes. This includes having insurance plans, conducting evacuation training, and implementing additional protection like smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
  • Create a list of as many possible threats you can think of. If you can conceive it, it probably can happen.
  • Come up with a backup location should your primary office location be rendered inoperable.
  • Create a core response team for any kind of disasters, and see to it that the members are easy to reach. Have a secondary team in place in case anyone in the primary core can’t function.
  • Establish post-disaster communication plans for employees, customers/clients and vendors. Have a list of backup vendors.
  • Create security plans that are flexible rather than rigid, and make sure they are regularly updated.
  • Back up all data. Have an onsite data backup as well as cloud backup.
  • Replace computers every 2-3 years. But don’t wait that long if the following symptoms of a croaking computer occur: odd noises during boot-up; things taking way too long; a blue screen.

The preparation and prevention tactics above apply to businesses and really, everyone. Employees should be rigorously trained on proactive security and tricks that cyber thieves use. To learn more about preparing your small business for disasters, download Carbonite’s e-book, “Five Things Small Businesses Need to Know about Disaster Recovery.”

#1 Best Selling Author Robert Siciliano CSP, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com is a United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla Staff Officer of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security whose motto is Semper Paratus (Always Ready). He is a four time Boston Marathoner, Private Investigator and is fiercely committed to informing, educating, and empowering people so they can be protected from violence and crime in the physical and virtual worlds. As a Certified Speaking Professional his “tell it like it is” style is sought after by major media outlets, executives in the C-Suite of leading corporations, meeting planners, and community leaders. Disclosures.

7 Ways to protect Yourself Online

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The biggest mistake that you can make to threaten your online safety is to treat the online world different—as far as your private information—than you would treat the physical world. In other words, if someone walked up to you and said, “Hi, can you please provide me with your name, address, birth date, home phone, cell phone, email, usernames, passowords all your friends names and all their contact info?” I think not.

9DWhat sane person would pass out cards with their Social Security number, birth date, full name, home address and bank account information to every stranger they walk past on the street? But essentially, that’s what many people do online.

Here are seven risky online behaviors:

  • Posting photos. As innocent as this sounds, photos of children have been known to get stolen and posted on child porn sites. Right click, save image as, then save to desktop; that’s all it takes. Does this mean never post photos of your kids? No. But save the picture of your naked two-year-old girl in the bathtub for your desktop. And don’t post vacation photos until after you return home.
  • Another thing about photos: Don’t post pictures of yourself engaging in activities that could come back to haunt you in some way. For example, you post a picture of yourself smoking while at a picnic. You apply for new health insurance and say you’re a nonsmoker. The insurance company might decide to view your social media pictures to catch you in the act.
  • Sounds innocent: You let your kids use your computer. But even if there are parental controls in place, your kids can still unknowingly let in a virus. Then you sit down to do some online banking…and the hacker whose virus is in your computer will then have your login credentials and bank account numbers, plus everything else. Ideally, you use a designated computer only for conducting sensitive online transactions.
  • A hacker sends (via bot) out 10,000 e-mails that are made to look like they’re from UPS. Out of 10,000 random recipients, chances are that a good number of them are waiting any day for a UPS shipment. This could be you. Will you open the e-mail and click on the link inside it? If you do, you’ll likely download a virus. This is a phishing scam. Contact the company by phone to verify the e-mail’s legitimacy. Better yet, just never click on the doggone links.
  • Do you know your apps? They most certainly know you—way too much, too. Applications for your phone can do the following: read your phone’s ID, continuously track your location, run your other applications, know your SIM card number and know your account number. Before downloading an app, find out what it can find out about you.
  • Don’t take silly online quizzes. Whoever’s behind them might just want to get as much information on you as possible with the idea of committing identity theft. Got some extra time? Read a book or do a crossword puzzle.
  • Never conduct business transactions using free Wi-Fi unless you have a virtual private network. Otherwise, anyone can cyber-see what you’re doing.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to Hotspot Shield. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him discussing internet and wireless security on Good Morning America. Disclosures.

Ins and Outs of Call Center Security

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Companies that want to employ at-home workers for their call centers to save money and reduce the hassles of office space have to look at security considerations. In addition to thorough vetting of the agents and their equipment, organizations also need to ensure that the security is top-notch. A cloud-based contact center combats these issues. 3DHere are some considerations:

  • Will it anger customers to have an agent who can’t speak clear English? Not only does poor speech of the employee drive some customers away, it also concerns customers who are accessing their data over seas.

When choosing an outsourcer, organizations look for important factors including: (1) agent language capabilities, (2) security capabilities, and (3) financial stability of the outsourcer. – Study conducted by Ovum

  • There comes a point where businesses need to put customer comfort first, especially when it comes to security, such as in the case of healthcare and financial concerns—more complex issues. “Homeshoring” eliminates the awkwardness that sometimes arises when someone is trying to bushwhack through the broken English of the customer support. Though homeshoring will cost companies more, this will be offset by lower turnover rates, small learning curve and a higher rate of first-call resolution.
  • Telecommuters (agents) should be screened vigorously, including (as a minimum) a background check for Social Security Number, criminal history and citizenship.
  • Then, a contract should be drawn up that should include an agreement to customer confidentiality as well as learning specifications.
  • A system should allow the customer to enter, via phone keypad, sensitive information such as credit card number—but without the agent seeing this entry.
  • Sessions between agents and customers can be infringed upon by hackers who want to gain access or snoop, creating a need for an end-to-end security system.
  • Zero-day attacks, which give hackers access, are a big threat. To prevent this, companies must have regularly updated and patched-up systems.
  • A firewall is a must, for server protection and back-end systems.
  • Also a must is two-factor authentication. This superb verification method includes the factor of device location and other identifiers. An agent must have a way of receiving a one-time code sent by the company to gain access to a critical system. A hacker, for instance, won’t be in possession of an agents cell phone to receive the texted code.
  • In tandem with two-factor authentication, the cloud service should require a very uncrackable password so that only at-home agents can gain access. A strong password is at least eight characters (preferably 12) and contains caps and lower case letters, plus numbers and other characters like #, $ and @.
  • Cloud services should be 100 percent PCI Level 1 compliant. To enhance security, have a minimum of two PCI-compliant data centers.

Offshoring and outsourcing for call center agents places an even higher demand for security—which is already greatly needed by virtue of the at-home, virtual workplace. When choosing an outsourcing solution consider all of the above. Ask lots of questions and get quality references.

Robert Siciliano is a Personal privacy, security  and identity theft expert to Arise discussing identity theft prevention. Disclosures.

Cheating Website hacked hard

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Bad guys hacked bad guys. Hmmm, whose side should we take?

2DAshleymadison.com got hacked. This site helps and suggests married people cheat. The hack threatens millions of users, potentially revealing their credit card information, addresses, real names, pictures and content of their chat logs.

This dating site has 37 million users and is owned by Avid Life Media. Their other sites, Established Men and Cougar Life, were also hacked.

The hackers responsible call themselves The Impact Team. They object strongly to Ashleymadison.com and had threatened to release all the hacked data unless the site closed down.

The Impact Team is especially unnerved over the site’s Full Delete service that supposedly wipes clean a customer’s profile and everything associated for $19. The Impact Team alleges that Ashleymadison.com took the money but did not delete, retaining clients’ credit card information, names and addresses.

The site denies the claims and is offering the deletion service for free. It’s also fighting to get the millions of personal data pieces removed from cyber space. If it’s already been exposed… too late.

Sounds like some spuses are going to get the frying pan for sure.

The Hacking Team might sell all this personal data for a lot of dough, but that’s a rumor. Either way, the customers are surely shaking in their boots.

A similar thing happened with another site called Adult Friend Finder. Recently, the sex life of its nearly four million users was revealed—purchased underground for $16,800.

What do these recent hacking incidents teach us? Not to cheat? Well, maybe, but more so that you risk a lot by putting your identity and other sensitive information online. Online services cannot guarantee protection from hackers. Maybe Ashleymadison.com’s customers should have used a virtual credit card number, but that wouldn’t have kept other sensitive information concealed.

Had this site used encryption, the hackers would have seen nothing but a bunch of garbled characters: zero value. But most sites don’t use encryption. And when they do, it’s often crackable.

Some sites, like Ashley Madison, have a privacy flaw: If someone knows your e-mail, they can find out if you’re registered with the site because its password reset requires only the e-mail.

If you don’t want anyone to know you have an account with a site, then create an e-mail just for that site. But that’s only one small thing you can do. Your private information may still get hacked into and revealed to the world.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing identity theft prevention.

Work from Home isn’t the Scam It used to be

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Many, including me, have reported for years about all the “work at home” scams. And frankly, there are still plenty out there, unless you know where to look. There has never been more opportunity to legitimately earn a living working at home, and NOT get scammed.

12DMothers with young kids aren’t the only ones working at home (telecommuting) these days. The “WAHMs” have lots of company.

The Internet has allowed people of all ages and educational levels to do this, including retirees. Many online jobs are linked to legitimate companies that have made provisions for the telecommuting.

  • More and more companies are recognizing the cost savings of setting up telecommuting positions.
  • Telecommuting boosts morale and thus, productivity, which includes increased work duration.
  • Positions involving 100 percent telecommuting often mean making up ones own schedule. There really is no limit to the flexibility telecommuting allows.
  • The definition of “telecommuter” traditionally has been that of someone employed full-time by a business but spends at least 50 percent of worktime at home. Nowadays it refers to even working just one day a week at home. Telecommuting also refers to the entrepreneur, such as the prolific blogger.
  • “Telecommuting” also encompasses working at home beyond the 40-hour work week onsite, such as making reports and answering e-mails in the living room.

Telecommuting may not be for everyone. But more and more people are finding it to be the only way they want to make a living.

Possible Drawbacks

  • Limitations in face-to-face contact with coworkers and clients, though Skype helps. For many, this is a non issue.
  • Lack of a centralized location for companies in which the entire workforce is remote. Who cares! You don’t want to leave your home and fight traffic anyway!
  • Inability to monitor activities of other personnel. It’s better to be your own boss and not have to manage people, trust me on that.
  • Fewer promotions. Just go into it knowing you can always change positions and still make more $$ with different job descriptions.
  • Loneliness. I’ve never found this to be an issue.

Additional Benefits

  • Significant savings in money: gas, repairs on car from wear and tear, parking fees, wardrobe, childcare, dog sitter or doggie daycare
  • Healthier eating (no vending machine runs)
  • Being able to help with sudden family matters
  • Not being exposed to workplace hostility or other problems such as the nearby coworker who keeps whistling or popping gum, or the employee with the foul body odor
  • The employer saves a lot of money (no office space).

Security Concerns

  • Telecommuters who allow other family members to use the work computer; this opens the door to infections or accidentally leaking company information.
  • The work computer should be off-limits to all other use, even if it seems harmless such as shopping or perusing Facebook.
  • The telecommuter’s household should have at least one other computer for all other use including e-mail accounts.
  • The computer should be located in a secure, private area of the house so that nosy family members or visitors don’t gain access to company information.
  • Storing work related data in a public cloud service; all data should be stored in a backup that’s part of the company network.
  • There may also be some risk in storing company data on a flash drive (it can be lost and eventually found by the wrong person).
  • The telecommuter takes the computer to a public Wi-Fi spot and uses it there, where data can be “seen” by snoops and hackers.
  • Using an unsecure Wi-Fi at home. The worker must make sure that the home Wi-Fi is secure.
  • The employee should never tinker with the company’s administrative and security settings.

All in all work at home is a viable and safe option for anyone who recognizes both the pros and cons, (mostly pros).

Robert Siciliano is a Personal privacy, security  and identity theft expert to Arise discussing identity theft prevention. Disclosures.

Work at Home Environment is a Safe, Secure Solution

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There was a time when online dating was a novelty, perceived as unsafe. Today, 59 percent of people agree that online dating is a good way to meet others (Pew Research, 2015). In fact, it’s the preferred method of matchmaking. A different online environment with similar views from the public is working from home. People who want to work at home fear its safety and security, understandably. But working from home is already a safe and secure proposition as far as finding a job and creating a safe environment in your home.

12DStart with reputable “outsource” companies.

Avoid the potential of being scammed. Outsourcers are the companies that agents form partnerships. The big, well-known organizations that want the best people at its frontlines go to outsourcers that have already vetted work at home agents. Additionally, outsourcers that provide work at home opportunities often provide clients with secure platforms and the best tools necessary for both agents, clients and customers to be successful in their interactions. Outsourcers often provide the most legitimate telecommuting opportunities. One such provider is Arise Virtual Solutions.

Customer service jobs.

Think of companies that have big customer support departments. Many have opportunities for working at home because, as you may have guessed, this saves companies money. However, work at home opportunities also bring forth an agent who is highly motivated, has a specialized skillset, and provides enhanced customer experiences. Outsourcers work across industries from energy to credit card companies and everything in between that field customer inquiries all day (and night) long.

Do your research to find the right opportunity.

Work-at-Home Sites

These sites specialize in work-at-home listings or leads. Make sure that the site you use has an explicit screening policy to filter out scams. Read about the website itself before diving into the listings. Realize that the listings on these sites may simply be links to other legitimate sites that have listings, rather than a straight path to an opportunity.

Work-at-Home Forums

Here you’ll find what other telecommuters have to say, including their warnings. You may even create a thread to start a discussion or ask for help.

How to Ensure Your Home Workplace Is Safe, Sound and Efficient

Now that you’ve taken the leap and found that perfect work at home solution, it’s time to create a safe and productive environment in your home to get to work.

It is likely the outsourcer you partner with will make numerous recommendations in regards to a safe and comfortable working environment. And, they will want to make sure you are legitimate in regards to your credibility and commitment. Expect to learn and take courses to succeed; you may even pay for courses. Expect to pay for a background check.

To get started they will most likely request fundamentals like effective hardware (computers and telephones/headsets) and software (security software, VPNs, call center software) and basic requirements like a comfortable chair and quiet setting.

The following are a few things to consider:

  • Make the workstation quiet and free of distractions (internal and external). Think: young kids or baby, sick family member, new puppy, home construction, neighbor’s incessantly barking dog, party next door etc.
  • Make the room temperature comfortable considering windows may need to be closed.
  • Avoid tripping hazards by keeping cords under a desk or secured along the wall.
  • Establish an escape route from the work room should there be a fire or other disturbance.
  • Think home security. Never leave the window open if you’re gone from the room for extended periods. Consider installing a home security system.
  • Keep the work room clean, void of clutter and flammable substances. Don’t smoke in it.
  • Don’t eat at your computer. Keep liquids in spill resistant containers.
  • The computer should be connected to a surge protector.
  • Make sure the workstation is ergonomic including a great chair with good back support or a backless ergo chair.
  • Never be in your chair for longer than one hour at a time. Ideally, take five-minute movement breaks out of the chair for every 30 minutes spent sitting. Consider getting an alternate stand up desk.
  • Use a headset and a quality phone.

It’s really not that complicated. If the job doesn’t directly involve hands on work, tools, or face to face involvement, then for the environment and quality of life, work at home and telecommuting is the best option.

Robert Siciliano is a Personal privacy, security  and identity theft expert to Arise discussing identity theft prevention. Disclosures.

Human error is inevitable: Here are some ways to protect your business

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National Preparedness Month is happening right now. It’s the perfect time to take action for you and your community. It’s all about making plans to remain safe, and when disasters do strike, to keep communications going. September 30th is the culmination of NPM, with the National PrepareAthon! Day.

3DIf a burglar sees your Facebook status that you are traveling on vacation and then enters your house, and takes $10,000 worth of valuables, it’s safe to say you as the homeowner facilitated the theft. This is no different than leaving your doors unlocked when you head to the store. This lack of attention to security is why crime often happens.

These lapses in judgement are akin to how human error enables data breaches. Even worse, for a small business, employee behavior accounts for a significant number of hacking incidents – and the costs of data breaches are tremendous.

A study from CompTIA says that human error is the foundation of 52 percent of data breaches. The CompTIA report also says that some of the human error is committed by IT staff. Funnily enough, it also points out that typically, businesses rank human error pretty low on the priority list of potential problems.

Some important things to remember:

  • Security awareness training is crucial for employees.
  • A strong incident response system must be in place.
  • Appointing a CISO (chief information security officer) will also help.

The high price of human error can include lost or stolen mobile devices, slow notification of a data breach, a weak security structure and response plan, and lack of a CISO. To avoid these and protect your business, you should:

  • Implement an aggressive security awareness training program for employees
  • Develop a data breach response plan
  • Implement strong authentication practices
  • Use encryption
  • Implement a data loss identification system

And all companies should take note of the following safeguards:

  • Vigorously train employees in safety awareness that pertains to the “bring your own device” policy. Many data breaches occur when someone conducts business on their personal mobile device.
  • Security awareness training isn’t just about telling employees the facts. It also should include staged attempts at a data breach (by hired white hackers) to see who takes the bait. This also includes staged attempts by people posing as vendors or other executives trying to gain access to sensitive information.
  • Back up all data on a frequent basis, ideally on a local drive in combination with a cloud service.
  • Computers should be replaced every two to three years. This will make it easier for businesses because the computers at this point will still be functioning.

The prevention tactics above apply to businesses and really, everyone. Employees should be rigorously trained on proactive security and tricks that cyber thieves use. To learn more about preparing your small business against the common accidents of everyday life, download Carbonite’s e-book, “5 Things Small Businesses Need to Know about Disaster Recovery.”

#1 Best Selling Author Robert Siciliano CSP, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com is a United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla Staff Officer of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security whose motto is Semper Paratus (Always Ready). He is a four time Boston Marathoner, Private Investigator and is fiercely committed to informing, educating, and empowering people so they can be protected from violence and crime in the physical and virtual worlds. As a Certified Speaking Professional his “tell it like it is” style is sought after by major media outlets, executives in the C-Suite of leading corporations, meeting planners, and community leaders. Disclosures.

How to stop Browser Tracking

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Maybe you don’t mind the ads for that bicycle rack following you around in cyberspace after you visited a site for all things bike, but browser trackers (“cookies”) also create a profile of you that gets sold to other advertisers and third parties.

2PAre you doomed to be stalked forever by bike ads? This is caused by third-party cookies. You can use third party software such as CCleaner, which can identify third-party cookies and clean out the cookies in your hard drive. It’s the third-party cookies that are the enemy. The first-party cookies come from the site you visit so that your subsequent visits to that site are easier.

After you rid the third-party cookies, you’ll have to alter your browser settings.

Google Chrome

  • In the upper right corner click the little lined box.
  • Select Settings, click Show advanced settings.
  • At Privacy click Content Settings.
  • Under Cookies check “Block third-party cookies and site data.” Hit Done.

Internet Explorer

  • In the top right corner, click on the gear.
  • Select Internet Options.
  • At the Privacy tab click Advanced.
  • Check “Override automatic cookie handling.”
  • Set the Third-party Cookies to Block. Hit Okay.

Firefox

  • Click the lined icon in the upper right corner.
  • Click Options or Preferences for PC or Mac, respectively.
  • At Privacy, under History, change “Firefox will” to “Use custom settings for history.”
  • Change “Accept third-party cookies” to Never.

Safari

  • Safari automatically has third-party cookies turned off, but to be sure:
  • Go to Privacy and select the option that blocks third-party cookies.

Additional Ways to Stop Cookies from Tracking You

Here are things you can do, courtesy of an article on the Electronic Frontier Foundation site. These steps should take you about 10 minutes to complete.

You need not worry that these tactics will negatively impact the ease at which you navigate the vast majority of websites. For websites that get testy about these changes, you can temporarily use a private browsing mode that has disabled settings.

  • Install AdBlock Plus. After installation, change filter preference so you can add EasyPrivacy. You’ll need to visit AdBlock Plus’s website.
  • Change Cookie Settings. Go into Chrome’s settings under Settings, then Show Advanced Settings. Under Privacy click on Content Settings. Hit “Keep local data only until I quit my browser / for current session.” Check “Block third-party cookies and site data.” This will force cookies to expire after you exit the browser and prevent third-party cookies from activating.
  • Install the extension “HTTPS Everywhere.” This will prevent websites from snooping in on you and will help shield you from third parties.

Turn off referers. Install an extension called Referer Control. Scroll down, locate “default referer for all other sites” and hit Block.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to Hotspot Shield. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him discussing internet and wireless security on Good Morning America. Disclosures.