Controlling Online Information

Most people never give a second thought about their information. They disclose, store, and use it as they need it. This practice can literally lead to ruin. In today's connected world, email addresses are used as user names, recycled passwords, addresses and phone numbers are stored everywhere, and financial information abound. There are some steps you can take to better protect your information and even use disinformation to combat faceless threats.

• Use multiple email addresses - Never use the email you receive from your ISP for things such as your social networking, downloading software, or signing up for news letters. Use a free account. Sign up for several accounts and use one for everything, one for friends, one for networking, etc.
• Don't willingly divulge information about yourself - Only people who truly know you should know your true address, email, phone number, friends, and any other information that could be sensitive in the wrong hands. Never string together this type of information in one place.

• Don't store your financial information on any website - Even though it may be inconvenient, remove this information from your profile after every purchase, especially if you rarely use the account.
• Use an encrypted removable drive to store sensitive information - Chances are you don't use that information everyday. Why store it on your computer? Unplug it when you don't need it. This will lessen the likelihood of your information getting pilfered by malware, or even the technician that works on it. On the plus side, if your system crashes, you have a secure backup of your information.
• Use multiple social networking accounts - One for family and close friends that have a legitimate reason to contact you, and one for everyone else. After all, if you meet online, do they really need to know how to contact you?

These are a few simple ways to begin to take control of your information. Feel free to improvise and create new ways of storing your information. A big fat lie never helped the enemy. Rome wasn't built in a day, and any plan to steal your identity isn't either. Identity theft is constructed by research. A string of good information stored in one place makes any attacker's job that much easier.