How To ID Protect Your Computer While You're Online

As more people are learning how to communicate online, there are higher risks of someone gaining access to your personal information. It has become increasingly necessary for even the average consumer to learn how to ID protect their computers. Today, anyone can start a blog, set up a personality profile, or a social media page. While you may think you're talking to your friends about your personal experiences, you never know how many strangers have also started to listen in on your conversation. When you're online, you need to be watchful not only for those people you know are there, but also those who are hiding behind the scenes and analyzing every word you share.

Privacy Settings

As the consumer, it is up to you to make your computer strong enough to keep potential thieves at bay. Never accept the standard default settings that come with your computer and use the highest possible level of privacy settings that you can. Sites like http://www.identityguard.com/ also recommend that you know the privacy and security policies of each site you visit. Some of the more popular social networking sites actually reserve the right to sell any information they have about you to a third party.

Be Stingy With Your Information

When you join a site of any kind, use the least amount of information you can to register. You are often asked to choose a screen name so be careful that the name you choose does not reveal too much information or give the thief clues about you. Your screen name may be fun for you and your friends but remember; it can be really fun if the identity thief can use it to hack into other areas of your life.

Be Vague in Your Postings

Whether you are posting photos or comments online make sure that you don't reveal too much information. To ID protect your computer, you should know that photos of your friends, homes, or favorite hangout spots give thieves valuable information about you. Many cameras now have location signatures encoded into the pictures themselves. Anyone savvy with computers will be able to decode it in a minute. These seemingly innocent bits of information can actually give a thief information about where you live, work, or go to school and connect you to all sorts of ways to get at your personal information.

Remember, posting information online is like writing something down with a permanent marker. Even if you delete it, the chances of it resurfacing again are very high. If you plan to transact business, communicate with friends, or shop online it is extremely important that you ID protect your computer to keep professional hackers and identity thieves from gaining access to your personal information. Even the most innocent of messages could give them clues that they can add to the information they've already compiled about you. Our lives are filled with information, data, and codes that we should be keeping to ourselves but it is even more important that you don't share too much information when you're online. Always assume that even if you're just chatting with your mother online that someone else is listening in.