Almost five million people in the U.S. are victims of identity theft every year. This can have very serious implications on your life, your privacy, and your finances.
Many people think that crimes involving sensitive personal data are unavoidable. They think that these incidents are the result of bad luck and bad people.
However, there are several steps you can take to manage personal sensitive data. Following these steps will keep both you and your information safe.
If you want to learn how to protect your personal data, read on for our top tips!
1. Use Strong Passwords
The easiest way to protect your data is to use strong passwords. If your passwords are real words, they’re much easier to guess. This is especially true if they have personal significance, such as a birthday, or a pet or family member’s name.
Use passwords that are combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols. The perfect password is complicated gibberish. This makes them much more difficult to guess or generate with hacking software.
In addition, don’t use the same password for multiple sites. If one site experiences an information breach, your passwords for other sites are also available.
You can use a password manager to save your passwords, but make sure that this manager is also password protected. This means you’ll only have to remember one password – the one for your password manager.
2. Purge Your Sensitive Personal Data
During the digital age, the classic phonebook has been replaced with a set of online white pages. Using the white pages, anyone can access your address, phone number, and other personal information for just a small fee.
This leaves your personal data online vulnerable. This is why many people choose to remove their information from the white pages. Read through this article for a guide on how to do it.
3. Good Judgment and Reputation Management
The more information you share online, the more information that’s freely available. This doesn’t mean you should never post anything, but don’t overshare and use good judgment about what you post.
Even if you think your content is protected or can be deleted, this is not always true. You never know who will see or store your information. Act as though anything you post online will be there forever.
Through careful online reputation management, you can avoid giving away too much about your private life. This keeps your data safe and your online profile clean for friends, families, and future employers.
4. Use Two-Factor Authentication
Most sites allow you to set up a two-factor authorization scheme. This means if you log in on a new device, they’ll send you a notification or call you to verify the login.
With this protection measure, anyone who tries to access your account will be shut out. This is one of the best ways to keep your accounts secure.
5. Watch Out for Phishing Scams
Some scam emails don’t get caught by your spam filters. They’ll end up in your inbox, asking for your information. They might say they’re from your bank, looking for account verification, or something similar.
If you’re not sure about an email, contact the company directly. For example, if you get an email from your bank asking to verify your account information, call your bank directly and verify it.
Be Proactive About Your Sensitive Personal Data
It’s not difficult to protect your sensitive personal data. It just takes a bit of proactivity and discretion.
Enjoy peace of mind and safe online browsing. Start with these tips and keep your information and reputation intact and private.
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