• DO NOT PROVIDE
INFORMATION TO WEBSITES THAT DO NOT HAVE A PRIVACY POLICY. Most websites
provide an online privacy policy. These policies tell you about what data the
site collects and how it will use that data. Sites without a privacy policy
offer no assurances or promises as to how they will use your personal
information. Especially if you are unfamiliar with a company, take a minute to
read the privacy policy to find out how your information will be used.
• NEVER GIVE YOUR PASSWORD TO ANYONE. Passwords should always be kept
private. They are key to protecting your privacy. Use a unique password instead
of a familiar word that would be easy for someone to guess. The best passwords
are those that have no meaning and combine alphabetic and numeric values. While
alphanumeric passwords are widely considered the best, we understand that many
people may have trouble remembering them. If this is the case you may want to
try using an acronym that is easy to remember. For example you could use OSCYS,
which is the first letter of each word in the line "Oh Say Can You
See." This makes passwords easier to remember, just be sure to make up your
own and not use OSCYS! Another approach is to combine two unrelated words e.g.,
"setyou". Also, when possible, change your password every month. This
makes it less likely to have it discovered by someone else.
• GUARD YOUR PRIVATE INFORMATION. Give your e-mail address, credit card
number, contact information, and other sensitive personal information ONLY to
known and trusted sources. If you are suspicious or unsure of an organization's
privacy practices or if it has no privacy statement, do not provide it with your
personal information. The benefit gained from providing your sensitive
information to the site is not worth jeapordizing your privacy.
• NEVER PROVIDE PERSONAL INFORMATION IN E-MAILS, BULLETIN BOARDS, INSTANT
MESSAGES, OR CHAT ROOMS. E-mails, instant messages, and chat rooms are not
always secure methods of communication. Use a screen or user name instead of
your real name and NEVER use these methods to provide sensitive information to
another individual or organization. Likewise, bulletin board messages are
available for anyone to see. Never provide personal information on these and be
careful with your e-mail address. "Spammers" sometimes use bulletin
boards as a source for gathering e-mail addresses to which they send
unsolicited, junk mail.
• KNOW WHAT CHILDREN ARE DOING WHILE THEY ARE ONLINE. Be sure that
children know never to give personal information to those they meet online. The
old saying of "Don't talk to strangers" applies well to children using
the internet. Also, consider moving the computer to a central location instead
of keeping it in a child's room. This makes it easier for parents to be sure
that their children are not compromising their safety while online.
• DELETE UNKNOWN OR SUSPICIOUS E-MAILS BEFORE OPENING THEM. E-mails can
contain viruses or other harmful information. If you are unsure about the safety
of an e-mail, just delete it before opening it. Also, look for messages that
have unusual subjects or have the same subject line as another recent message.
This can be a sign of a message that contains a virus.
• CONSIDER
INSTALLING A FIREWALL, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A CABLE MODEM OR OTHER
"ALWAYS ON" CONNECTION. A firewall monitors attempts to access
your computer while it is online, and makes it more difficult for the hackers or
other unauthorized users to access or disrupt your computer.
