Last month we discussed the growing problem of identity theft and the importance of protecting your personally identifiable information, or PII. Underscoring this, McAfee recently announced that since Feb. 2006, more than 100 million people have had their personal information stolen or wrongfully exposed.
This month we will discuss some ways you can help secure your personal information from identity predators. Next month, we’ll focus on steps businesses can take to protect their customers’ PII.
Privacy: As a consumer, it is always important to know exactly how your personal information will be used, who will have access to it and the company’s policy for retaining and safeguarding your information. By law, any company that collects sensitive consumer information must have a documented privacy policy or equivalent that they can share with you. Ask to see a copy of the company’s policy and read it carefully. If you are not comfortable with their policy, ask questions and see if they will honor any changes or special handling of your information. If not, you may want to explore other options.
Internet: When using the Internet, always be sure the company uses a secured web page to collect or display your information. You can easily identify a secured web page by looking for the small padlock image in the lower right corner of your web browser, or by checking the website address and ensuring it starts with https:// (note the “s” stands for “secure http,” the protocol used for web browsing).
Email, Fax or Phone? A common mistake is to send sensitive information, such as a credit card or Social Security number to a spouse or mortgage lender, etc. via email. Unfortunately, email is not a secure medium and it’s very easy for identity thieves to intercept your personal information as it’s being transmitted to its destination. Encrypting the information in your email or password-protecting a file before attaching and sending it are ways to better secure your information when sending electronically.
Alternatively, if you must transmit information electronically, send it by fax. It’s not risk-free, but safer than email. Just ensure that the fax will not be going to an open fax machine that many people can access. In some cases, it might just be safest to simply pick up the phone and verbally give the other trusted” party your information.
Remember, your information belongs to you and you have every right to ask how it is being used and in writing. Don’t be afraid to ask how your information will be used, who will have access to it and how long your data will be retained.
Rob Gardner, founder and owner of Santa Clarita Web Services, has more than 15 years of experience working with computer and web technologies, including information security, regulatory compliance and data loss prevention for Fortune 500 companies.
If you’re a business owner and have questions about securing your customer’s information, please call him at 661-799-9100 or email rmg@escv.com .