Protecting our online and computer privacy

From my NBC-TV “High Tech Talk” segment this week…
The good thing about the Internet is that you can use it to find out everything about just about anything. The bad news is, people can use it to find out about you. As technology gets better and better, concerns are mounting about protecting our online privacy.

Here are some of the privacy-protection tools I mentioned in my NBC-TV story this week:

One of the things that amazed a lot of viewers was how, by typing in your phone number, anyone can get your address… and even a map to your house. You can remove your phone and address info from the Google service by going to this page.

But what really fried a lot of people was how your own computer can give personal details away to others who may share it with you. Even if you thought you erased it, we reported that a history of Web sites you visited can be called up. Even worse, all those auto-complete forms you fill out when sending in a credit card payment or registering for a service can be accessed by anyone who uses your PC.

The reason is because Web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox can save every image and every website you open. Windows might save every login name and password you type. Media players often keep records of every movie and video clip you watch. A lot of people don’t know this and assume that it’s private. A lot of people have been fired for what was found on their computer, or had their identity stolen.

That information is, fortunately, very easy to zap, thanks to inexpensive shredder programs that nuke the personal details and keep your information… yours.

Privacy is a major concern and you should take the threats seriously.

Here’s the link to one of the programs I showed that will block access and protect your private info.

And for more info about online privacy, check out the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. They’re lobbying Congress for stricter controls.

Meanwhile, The problem of identity theft just gets worse and worse. The latest stats show that 8.6 million Americans had their identity stolen in 2006 and they were ripped off to the tune of $49 billion.

We’re now at the point where identity theft is so common that everyone needs to protect themselves against it.

A company called LifeLock offers a guaranteed protection plan. Up to $1 million in losses. They set it up so credit bureaus contact you directly to approve any credit transaction before it takes place. They also remove your name from those pre-approved credit card and unsolicited junk mail lists, which is where a huge proportion of the identity theft cases get started.

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