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Dust off your digital devices inside and out

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Hackers know small companies are more vulnerable to data breaches due to limited resources. Cybersecurity should always be a high priority. But when a company’s IT staff consists of maybe 1-2 people who are provided limited budgets and are constantly solving other tech problems, the focus on security suffers. And hackers aren’t the only problem. One significantly overlooked part of the security process “cleaning” the IT infrastructure.

4HIT staff being and small business owners must keep on top of:

  • Networked systems
  • PC and mobile hardware
  • Multiple device software
  • Local and cloud data

The best way to manage the “cleaning” process is to keep a checklist and break the workload down into small bites. Complete the following tasks to clean up your business’s digital life and add layers of protection:

  • Rule #1: Automatically back up your data before, after and always. No matter what you are doing to your devices, make sure they are backed up.
  • Use automatically updated security tools including anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall software.
  • Use a virtual private network for public Wi-Fi activity. Check to see if the VPN auto-updates.
  • Take an inventory of your e-mail files. Depending on the nature of a business, it may be prudent to keep everything backed up for years. In other cases, consider deleting useless messages. Create folders for messages pertaining to certain topics. Delete old folders, etc.
  • Go through all of your devices’ programs and uninstall the ones you’ll never use.
  • Carefully sift through all of your files and get rid of useless ones.
  • Separate out media so that there are files specifically for images, video, docs, etc.
  • Integrate desktop icons that have a commonality. For instance you may have several related to a certain product or service you provide. Create a main folder and put all of these in it. Icon clutter may slow boot-up time and makes things look and feel, well, cluttered.
  • Take a look at all your passwords. Replace the crackable ones with long and strong ones. An easily crackable password: contains real words or proper names; has keyboard sequences; has a limited variety of characters. If you have a ton of passwords, use a password manager.
  • Have multiple backups for your data including on premise and cloud storage.
  • Defragment your hard drive.
  • Reinstall your operating system. Of course, first make sure all your data is backed up beforehand.
  • Operating systems pick up temporary files over time, slowing the computer and making it vulnerable. The free CCleaner tool will clean up your system’s registry.
  • Install program updates. Your OS should automatically do this, but check just to be safe.
  • Review the privacy settings of social media accounts to make sure you’re not sharing information with more people than you’d like.
  • Make sure your business is protected by a security alarm system that includes video surveillance. Hackers get the spotlight, but we can’t forget about the common burglar.

The prevention tactics above apply to businesses and really, everyone. Be sure to train your employees on proactive security and inform them about tricks that cyber thieves use. For more information visit: http://www.dhs.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month. If you’re looking for a secure backup solution, check out Carbonite. Sign up before the end of October and receive two free bonus months when you enter code “CYBERAWARE” at checkout.

#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 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.

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.

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.

Stay Safe While Traveling this Summer

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So, when you think about summer travel safety, what comes to mind? Which beach you’ll be lounging on? Sunburns? Shark attacks? While sunburns and vacation plans are rational concerns most have when traveling during the summer, shark attacks are a new one.

4WWith all of the news of recent shark attacks, people are now anxious about wading into the waters, despite the fact that the chances of getting mauled by a shark are a whopping one in 3.7 million. No guarantees, of course, but your odds are looking pretty good.

Conversely, the odds of getting your identity stolen or your other valuable information compromised while on or planning for these fun summer trips with the family are much higher. So instead of worrying about sharks this summer, let’s worry about the real predators out there —online hackers and phishing scammers.

In order to ensure you and your family’s online safety while on vacation, you first have to find an ideal and preferably well-rated vacation spot to travel. The Web is replete with scam sites touting glorious vacation spots for bargain prices. Be wary because a lot of these locations are fictitious or are actual pictures of someone’s home “stolen” from, for instance, someone’s family blog or social media profile. The thief will then put up a fraudulent ad for renters and will request a wired upfront payment.

Book travel plans only via legitimate, reputable sites. McAfee® WebAdvisor is a tool you can use that will help to warn you of most unsafe web pages. Make sure to check reviews of any private lodgings and use legitimate, well-known travel review sites.

We all love to share what we’re doing on social media, especially kids, but avoid using location services when possible. According to the recent Intel Security study : Realities of Cyber Parenting , one in three children who are active on social media turn on location services for some or all of their social media accounts which can alert thieves that you are not home, making you vulnerable to break-ins.

Many users are unaware of these features, but the service is available, and probably enabled on almost all of your most used apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. In order to fully protect your online data, when your computer devices are not in use, the Wi-Fi, location services and Bluetooth all should be turned off. Educate your kids to disable these services and not to download apps that request this information to run.

Additional Safety Measures You Can Take:

  • Lock your luggage
  • Do not post your travel plans online
  • If you’re taking any computer devices along, back up all their data first
  • Power down, password-protect, and lock these devices prior to travel
  • The person next to you on the plane can visually eavesdrop while you type in login information—beware. Better yet, avoid computer use while on the plane, and watch movies instead
  • Never use public Wi-Fi, at least for important transactions including purchases. Not only can thieves snatch data out of the air, but cybercriminals can also install public computers with data-stealing gadgets. If you must use public Wi-Fi for sensitive communications, use a virtual private network (VPN), which will scramble your data

Even after taking all of these precautions before and during your trip, your job is not done! Once you return home from your trip, it is vital that you make sure all of your information and charges are accurate. Make sure to immediately check your online credit card statements for unauthorized charges—before you invest time posting all about your trip on social media. Credit card fraud or identity theft can occur in well under 24 hours, so don’t put off checking your card status when you come home.

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!

Managing Your Online Reputation

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You’ve been “Googled.” No matter how small a speck you think you are in this universe, you have without a doubt created an online footprint that is attached to your name. Chances are high that someone out there has followed this footprint of yours via a Google search.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-online-risks-sign-road-banner-image34668294Whether by a business colleague, family member or even a significant other, it’s reasonable to assume that your name will be “searched” online for personal information about you. But, what are the results of these searches? Are you comfortable with what they might have discovered?

Online reputations are a part of everyday life that should not be taken for granted; they can be key factors in finding (and keeping) a job, not to mention personal and professional relationships.

Make sure your online reputation isn’t tarnishing your personal image. First step: search yourself! You can use any or all of the popular search engines, such as Bing and Google. You will want to make sure to view the search results when you’re logged in and out of your browser, as this can alter the outcome. Results can be different depending on many factors including the type of web browser, geographic location, web history or data center that is serving up the search results. You may be surprised to find that there is negative information you’ll want to get rid of.

If this is the case, and you want to remove some damaging results, you can use this link for Google and this link for Bing to request the removal of particular search results.

Use these tips to ensure your online reputation isn’t susceptible to generating negative search results:

  • Set your social media accounts to private to prevent unwanted retweets, shares, likes and posts (and think before you post).
  • Review the privacy settings for your social media accounts so that people aren’t seeing things you don’t want them to see.
  • Review all of your avatars. They are the world’s first impression of you, even if it’s obviously not you (e.g., an image of an evil dictator).
  • Review photos of yourself. Duck-face mirror selfies and party pictures are a major red flag. Remove any other unfavorable pictures that may lead to negative search results.
  • Remove any insulting or otherwise negative comments you may have made.
  • Now add in some information that elevates you.
  • Never drink while posting. While PUI’s are legal, you could regret it.

There are also ways to build up your online reputation:

  • Check out online portfolio sites such as me, About.me and Seelio. These can help you to build your digital identity through a single website that showcases all of the positive information from your varying social media accounts.
  • Signing up with services such as Youtube or Flickr where you can promote your skills can also be a big reputation boost.
  • Another option is to create your own personal website domain, where you can represent yourself or your brand in whatever light you choose.
  • Look into online reputation management companies. Expect to pay some dough, but there’s nothing like having all that bad stuff swept under the rug.

Whether it is through posts, updates, or even mobile phones tracking location, just about every part of your daily life is somehow tied to your online profiles. This influx of time spent connected makes managing your online reputation a clear necessity to ensure the face-to-face image that you project into the world, matches the one linked to you online.

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!

Time to tighten up Google Privacy Settings

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There is good news for the tech-unsavvy out there: Google has made their privacy settings easier to work with. This day has not come a moment too soon. “My Account” is Google’s new dashboard.

ggWhen you use any Google account, the giant company collects information on you. The new dashboard will reveal what information this is. My Account also has other privacy related features; check it out first chance that you get. It has the following three sections.

Security

  • If you get locked out of your Google account, Google will contact you via the phone number and e-mail address you’ll see in this section, and you can change them, too.
  • You can look over a list of apps, websites and more that have access to your Google account info. You can place restrictions on permissions.
  • Lists devices that have connected to your Google account.
  • You can change your password.

Privacy

  • Google collects information on you including what you watch on YouTube; this section reveals which information on you is saved.
  • This section controls what phone numbers people can reach you on Hangouts.
  • Additionally you can adjust your public likes and subscriptions on YouTube.
  • Third, you can alter the information that you share on Google+.

Account Preferences

  • Here you can select the language for your Google accounts.
  • Here you can delete your entire account or some of it.
  • You can adjust the accessibility features.

Think of how great it would be to view a list of all the information that Google has collected from your computer, tablet or smartphone…and then delete whichever items you choose. You now no longer have to use the excuse, “It’s too techy for me,” to avoid delving into the privacy settings and making adjustments to your liking. You have a right to know what Google gets on you and what everyone else on the planet can see, too.

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

Tips to being anonymous Online

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One of mankind’s greatest inventions (besides the wheel) is the Internet.

10DUnfortunately, with this marvelous invention comes the drawback of privacy—or shall we say, lack of.

The Internet is a wonderful tool, but users must fight to remain as anonymous as possible, because getting too much of yourself “out there” could lead to trouble. In fact, it’s a big business all in itself: tracking users’ data and selling it to advertisers. Now this may sound rather benign, because no matter how much or how little of you is “out there,” you’re always going to see ads anyways.

But it’s the idea that other entities are tracking you, and also the idea that you don’t know who. All the time, information about you is being swooped up without your knowledge.

  • IP tracking. The “IP address” of your computer stands for Internet protocol. The IP address is issued by your Internet service provider and is unique to every user. An IP address can be tracked, revealing the user’s home address. Law enforcement will track an IP address of, for example, someone making threats via e-mail to bomb a school.
  • ISPs insist they don’t track IP addresses. But there are cases that make this hard to believe, such as when someone downloads a copy of a new movie. Not long after, they get a letter warning they’ve violated copyright law. This means their browsing habits were shared with a private company.
  • Cookies. Visit a site. It has cookies or data pieces that will record that you visited it. This is why when you visit the site again a week later, you’re automatically taken to the page you were last on. Cookies can also build a pattern of your web habits, so that before you know it, ads are popping up everywhere relating to sites you’ve visited.
  • Social media. Sites like Facebook will track your browsing habits with cookies, leading to the targeted advertising.

So how can you remain as anonymous as possible?

  • Open new links in an incognito window. When you right-click, a selection box will appear; choose “open in incognito window.” The incognito window means you will not leave behind cookies or browsing history. However, this doesn’t mean you’ll be the Invisible Man. But at least it’s a way of cutting down on how much of your browsing habits are revealed and shared.
  • You can download Hotspot Shield. It will put a stop to third-party tracking and encrypt data that you share with sites. You may also want it even more for its ability to mask your IP address. There is a free version and a premium version that costs $29 bucks.

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.