Keeping You Information Safe!

During this last module I have learned a lot about how to keep your personal information safe on the internet.  From identity theft to deep packet inspection there are a number of ways in which your information can get into the wrong hands and do nothing but cause you pain.  Deep packet inspection and cookies are used to track your internet use.  According to the article "How Internet Cookies Work" from, http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cookie.htm,  cookies are a small text file that is placed on your computer by a website to store information such as a unique ID number.  The website can then track if you have visited the website before, how often you have visited and can even store your preferences.  The good thing about cookies is the user can control whether or not they want them put on their computer (by a setting in the browser).  This can make it so that website do not track your internet use or place any files on your computer. Personally I will be monitoring my computer closely from now on so I know what if any cookies are on it.  Check out this website https://kb.iu.edu/d/ajfi to view and control cookies on your computer!

Deep packet inspection is a different beast in which the ISP uses to track you.  This method of tracking goes beyond just tracking whether you have been to a website or not.  According to the article "Every Click You Make" by Peter Whoriskey from the website http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040304052.html, "deep-packet inspection," enables a far wider view -- every Web page visited, every e-mail sent and every search entered. Every bit of data is divided into packets -- like electronic envelopes -- that the system can access and analyze for content.".  This means the ISP provider could have a fair amount of your personal information.  Even though this collection of information is supposed to be to help personalize the web for you, how do you know they won't sell or give your information out?  This article also explains that most customers don't even know they are being tracked, however it says "Each company allows users to opt out of the monitoring, though that permission is buried in customer service documents." So my advice is if you know you are being tracked, opt-out! This way your personal information will remain your own and will not be available for the ISP providers to collect and possible sell.

While shopping online is such a convenience to a lot of consumers these days, including myself, it is also a great opportunity to have your identity stolen.  After reading the chapter on "Identity Theft" in the book Cyber Crime Fighters Tales From The Trenches by Felicia Donovan and Kristyn Bernier I have learned a lot about how identity theft happens, the types of identity theft and how it can really be devastating to the victim.  Anytime you use your credit card, social security number or any personal information online it has the potential to get stolen.  Unfortunately there are predictors lurking everywhere out there waiting for their next victim. If your identity gets stolen its very important to tell you credit card companies, banks, DMV, and even the police.  According to the same book mentioned above you should also alert the credit report agencies so they can place a fraud alert on your report.  Fortunately there are ways we can protect ourselves from these nasty attacks including use prepaid credit cards for online purchases, get your credit report annually ( and verify all accounts on it), monitor your bank accounts, shred any credit card offers and any other mail that has your information on it, opt-out of preapproved credit card offers and never give out your social security number unless you verify it's use.  Always make sure you use a secure website too which means the site should start with "https" and have a lock symbol on it.  Here are a couple resources for tips on protecting yourself online:http://enlightenme.com/top-10-ways-to-keep-your-personal-information-safe-on-the-internet/

• http://www.bbb.org/blog/2014/01/5-tips-for-keeping-your-personal-information-secure-online/
• https://www.washington.edu/doit/online-safety-tips-protecting-your-personal-information

Here is a website to help if you have your identity stolen:

• http://www.creditsesame.com/blog/steps-take-immediately-victim-identity-theft/

I have learned a lot of valuable information in this module.  I now know ways in which I can prevent my personal information from getting in the wrong hands.  I will be taking a lot of these precautions going forward!