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The internet is forever. It’s a key point your family should know when trying to keep their information online safe. It can be a hassle to remove personal information from Google . While it’s better not to leak any personal details online in the first place, sometimes it can’t be helped, or is already too late. These tips will help you secure your family’s information and keep yourself and your children safe online. Remove Information From Data Broker Sites How do advertisers create targeted ads? Buying data from data broker sites is often the answer. Data broker sites collect and sell any personal details they can find on you. Your internet browsing habits, your address, and the name of your family members are among the tidbits they collect. Often, this is picked up by Google. It’s essential to know how to remove personal information from Google , usually done by removing your private information from data broker sites. You can do this yourself, though it is often...

With the recent wave of high-profile data breaches, business hacks, private information dumps, and financial network intrusions, internet security and privacy have gotten quite a bit of press. A lot of the online security basics are pretty well known: Have strong passwords, don’t open email attachments sent by strangers, and chances are there’s not really a foreign princess waiting to enrich and possibly marry you if only you’d share your account information. However, there are more specific privacy and security issues that can instigate misery, embarrassment, financial catastrophe, and even loss of your job. For instance, do you know your employer’s BYOD policy? Do you know how to remove personal information from Google ? Do you know if your anti-virus/anti-malware software is up to date? The following list outlines some common internet security threats and mistakes and how those threats can be diminished or resolved with a bit of research and a little proactive ris...

The internet is an often a frustrating double-edged sword. The more convenience and opportunity that becomes available, the greater the risk of your personal information being exposed and exploited. For every branded coupon, loyalty card, product, newsletter, or website registration that requires your email address, there’s a new addition to the aggregating digital footprint your email address leaves online. The wider that footprint gets, the easier it gets for parties you don’t want anything to do with following your tracks. The good news is that the choice doesn’t have to be between “avoid anything that requires you providing your email address,” or, “accept all risk associated with malicious, criminal, or simply annoying misuse of your email address.” There’s a third option: a disposable email address. So, is it worth it to use an anonymous, disposable email address? Avoiding Spam Any online security expert who knows their business will tell you that the more e...

Aside from filling your inbox with emails from subscriptions asking you to confirm your desire to continue receiving emails from them, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a long-term solution to a serious problem. It’s been developed over the past seven years and timely addresses data protection in a time of hackers, data brokers, and social media information leaks. The GDPR replaces the 1995 Data Protection Directive and its standards for processing data, from technology to E-Commerce. It is meant to give more power over your personal data back to you and keep it from getting into the wrong hands. The GDPR was implemented on May 25 th , 2018, in every European Union member state, applying to any data controller holding the personal information of online members. This includes any data controller who interacts with European users, therefore affecting data policy on a global scale.  A data controller holds personal data ...

In light of the recent Facebook privacy crisis, protecting your personal information online is more difficult than previously thought. Worried about what information anyone can see about you from a simple Google or Facebook search? Here are five ways to protect your privacy online without having to go completely off the grid.  Mindfully Protect Your Personal Information Think of the difference between purchasing something in a brick-and-mortar store versus buying an item online. If the cashier asks for your phone number or email, you’re definitely not as likely to give it to them. However, if it’s part of a computer form, you likely will hand it over because it’s “a step in the process.”  If personal information is not required for a purchase or other service, don’t freely provide it. Personal data like your purchases, birthday date, email, reviews, credit scores, job applications, home addresses, and other information are constantly collected b...

If you’ve never heard of data brokers, they are the wheelers and dealers of information—personal information—about you and, most likely, everyone you know. If that isn’t terrifying enough, these miscreants are bound by few regulations. They fly under the radar, buying and selling information, and it isn’t really known how many of these companies exist. Think about how often you interact with the internet throughout the day; shopping, social media, work,if you use the internet at all, you are at risk.While there are companies that remove personal information from Google , it alone is not enough to ford the data mines that exist.   In North America, 95 percent of the population utilizes the internet, a 219 percent growth from the year 2000. Any interaction with the web has the possibility of divulging information about you, and data brokers are lying in wait to buy and sell that data, while you remain entirely unaware.   Your name, address, age, religion, usern...

Some might find all the talk about people wanting to remove personal information from Google and other websites just a little hysterical. Here are some thoughts on why online privacy is so critical right now. Privacy and Behavior Some people might say to themselves, “Hey, privacy is not that big a deal. What do I have to hide? And as for all that marketing junk, I’m not an idiot. I just don’t pay any attention to that stuff.” First of all, it is important to note that the fight over privacy (both online and offline) is not about having “something to hide.” In other words, it is not about having the license to do bad things. It is about having the freedom to do good things. It is about having the ability to live our lives with a reasonable level of security, dignity and autonomy. When a person has privacy, they can have the comfort and confidence needed to be themselves. They can do anything from dancing and singing along to Abba to writing a treatise on world...