Could Your Private Information Be Available on the Internet?

News stories on personal privacy and identity theft are common these days, and you’ve probably heard some of the horror stories. There are all kinds of cautions about sharing personal information. Even if you aren’t doing anything to put your private information at risk, that doesn’t mean your identity couldn’t be stolen.

The news has been abuzz recently with stories about a Web site that has posted sensitive personal information on a variety of politicians and celebrities. If these people can’t keep their personal information private and out of the hands of potential identity thieves, no one can. The fact that you are not famous might make it less likely that anyone will try to steal your identity, but you might be surprised how easy it can be for identity thieves to get information about you that they shouldn’t have.

Investigators say the offending Web site could very likely be Russian, but that doesn’t mean overseas threats are the only ones we need to be concerned about. Even legitimate companies and organizations right here in the U.S. may put our personal information at risk.

Google, for instance, recently settled with Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, along with 37 other states and the District of Columbia, over privacy concerns about its Street View program. Not only did specially equipped vehicles take pictures of residences nationwide between 2008 and 2010, they also collected information from unsecured WiFi networks at homes and businesses along the way. Your own family’s personal information could have been put at risk. Google’s practices may have improved, but plenty of other businesses want your information. Personal information about you may even be publically available on the Internet without your knowledge.

Individuals and families can only do so much to protect their personal information. Ultimately, the public must let politicians know they need help defending themselves from identity thieves and others who want too much information.

READERS, what do you think?

What can you do to better protect your personal information? And what should the government and businesses do to help?

References:

Office of the Attorney General, Commonwealth of Kentucky. (2013, March 12). Attorney General Conway Announces $7 Million Multistate Settlement with Google over Street View WiFi Data Capture. Retrieved from http://migration.kentucky.gov/newsroom/ag/googlewifi.htm.

Schmidt, M. S., & Perlroth, N. (2013, March 12). Web Site Investigated for Posting Private Data. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/us/personal-data-on-well-known-people-is-posted.html.