Protect Your Privacy When You Log On to the Internet from Your Gainesville Apartment

In a culture where tagged pictures, check-ins, tweets, and status updates let people know where we are, what we’re doing, and what we think almost constantly; privacy is seemingly less and less important. However, putting too much of your personal life on the Web can lead to identity theft or other problems, so it’s important to learn how to keep at least part of your online experience private.

One of the most important parts of ensuring online privacy is to have multiple passwords. Using the same password for every site or account means that once one of your accounts is compromised, everything else could be as well. For example, since many websites create accounts, communicate information to you and allow password resets using your e-mail address, it’s smart to use a different password for your e-mail account than for any other site. This extra protection helps prevent identity thieves from finding out what other websites you have accounts with, creating new accounts using your identity, and locking you out of your accounts through password changes. It’s also smart to have a third password to use on sites that store your financial data, whether it’s for paying credit cards, online baking, loan payments, or just shopping online.

However, gaining access to your accounts isn’t the only way a potential identity thief can learn sensitive information about you. Social networking sites, professional profiles, and digitized public records all provide a great deal of information on nearly anyone. Try searching your name online and likely you’ll find more than you ever expected. Fortunately, most sites now include privacy protection features that help you control who you allow to see your account and what the general public is allowed to see. Be sure to familiarize yourself with privacy protection features on any website where you have an account and be sure to limit who has access to information like your address, phone number, birth date, or other sensitive information.

So as you can see, it’s wise to do your best to protect your privacy when you’re using the computer in your Gainesville apartment or anywhere else. For more information on our luxury apartment community, contact us today.