Your personally identifiable information includes your name, birth date, Social Security number, address, telephone number, email address, credit card numbers, financial account numbers, medical details, and the list goes on and on.
It is easy to assume and take for granted in your daily life that this information will not be disclosed to persons or entities not of your choosing. As such, you may move around freely on the Internet, communicating and entering into transactions, without taking active steps to protect your most private information.
All is well and good until your privacy has been compromised. You then realize the most valuable lesson about privacy – like oxygen, you truly do not prize what you have until it is gone.
Once your credit card numbers have been used by others for unapproved purchases for example, it occurs to you that you really should have taken protective measures on the front-end of your Internet activities.
For those of you whose privacy has not yet been breached, and especially for people who already have been victims of privacy violations, a few recommendations should be considered.
First, do actually READ the privacy policies posted on Web sites to find out how they will handle any private data that you provide. AVOID providing information to Web sites that have inadequate or non-existent privacy policies.
Second, do NOT respond to unsolicited email and other inquiries that seek your private information, even if the communications do appear to come from a trusted source, such as your bank. This could be a phishing scheme. If you want to communicate with that source, YOU initiate the contact with the official site.
Third, do NOT join large social network groups that share information among people who you do not know. ONLY provide access to your social networking information to people who you know.
And fourth, even with people you do know, CONSIDER how much truly private information you really should share with them. While you may be comfortable with someone at the moment, feelings between the two of you could change later, but once you have provided personal content to them, that cat is out of the bag and cannot be returned.
These are just a few suggestions to get you started on the road toward online privacy. Be careful out there!
Biography
Eric Sinrod is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris. His focus includes information technology and intellectual property disputes. To receive his weekly columns, send an e-mail to with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line.
Disclaimer: This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author's law firm or its individual partners.
Reprinted with permission of Findlaw.com