When was the last time you left home without your smart
phone? If you have – at some point in time – chances are, you’ve become distressed
and felt as you left behind a vital part of your life – something that’s
usually essential for our survival. It’s funny how technology – especially
information technology – is changing how we function in everyday life. Consequently, with information technology
reaching new heights by every passing year, we are becoming more advanced as a
society. Most people think that technology is all good, and no harm has come
from it – at least none that they can actually see. In fact, folks who believe that their privacy
is not being violated are either extremely naïve or may be retarded. In reality, privacy is dead – whether you
like it or not – it’s true. If you are a facebook user, than facebook already
knows everything about you. Where you live, who you are married to, where you
work, who are your friends and relatives and what you like. Thus, whether you like
it or not, it is likely that facebook knows more about you than your own
mother, but life goes on, the world keeps spinning and you don’t have the power
to change what has been done.
Who steals your personal data?
Criminals:
You may be thinking: what can criminals do with my personal
data? Well, they can do some serious damage to your credit report. How? Simple,
all they need is your full name, address, social security number and driver’s
license number, which is really not that hard to gather. So, how do they gather
such information? Easy, all the criminal has to do is either hack into your
personal computer, or alternatively, use an old fashioned technique
appropriately named dumpster diving. In dumpster diving, criminals ravage
through your garbage bins, sifting through piles of rubble to look for credit
card statements or better yet, your tax return documents – it’s a dirty job for
the criminal – but the payoff is well worth the effort. Next, once the criminal is able to gather all
the pieces to the puzzle – in this case all your personal information – he or
she can apply for bank loans, credit cards and even conduct other crimes using
your identity – if that doesn’t get your blood boiling, then you might as well
be the next dalai lama.
Large corporations:
Large corporation love you, not your money – this is why
they want to get to know you better – this statement may be true in a another
worldly dimension, but in the real world, it is the other way around. So, let’s
rephrase this statement: large corporation love your money, not you! Thus, by collecting your personal data, they
are better able to entice you on the products you love – forcing you inner
motivations to spend on things you truly love – resulting in you spending on
potentially useless things that you really don’t need and items or services
which you may not have any real use for.
How can you stay safe from e-crime?
1.
Utilize software which can Password Protect Folder or folders containing sensitive
information.
2.
Shred all documents before tossing them in the
garbage bin – use a cross shredder to ensure better security.
3.
Use VPN to surf the internet, this will encrypt
your online activities, preventing corporations from tracking your online
activities.
4.
Be
careful about what information to share on facebook and other social media
websites. The less information you’ll share, the safer you you’ll be.
For More Information Please Visit:
0 comments:
Post a Comment