Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Where Does Your Data Go?

Story by Anna Oakes

Thanks to technological advances and the Internet, life is much more convenient than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. But convenience comes with a price.

The proliferation of data changing hands daily means that our precious consumer identities are more susceptible to theft and misuse. And in an age of intense marketing and rapid, freewheeling exchanges of information, businesses, the government and complete strangers may know more about us than we are aware of.

In a national study commissioned by ProQuo, a company that helps people remove personal information from marketing lists, data brokers and other organizations, Harris Interactive found that 87 percent of adults fear the safety of their personal information. Yet, 77 percent believe they know how to properly protect their personal information. More than half of consumers surveyed were unaware of the risks associated with 10 of 12 high-risk behaviors tracked in the study.

The following tips are from ProQuo and PC World magazine. A number of online services can help you monitor your personal information and remove that information from marketing lists for free. ProQuo consolidates several of these services—for more info, click to www.ProQuo.com.

1. Never use websites that provide mortgage quotes from multiple lenders. These sites are prime data collection spots that ensure a high likelihood of your information being sold. Go directly to each lender’s website instead.

2. Enter January 1 or the default as your date of birth when submitting personal info. An accurate birth date is important for qualifying information for the data exchange—without accurate info, your profile is fragmented and less desirable to the exchange industry.

3. On social networking sites, add friends manually instead of using a “friend finder” service. Those services require your email address and password to scan your address book—opening yourself and your friends to exposure.
4. Only use photo sharing sites that do NOT require people to register for an account to view your pictures. Registering for an account puts info into a potentially unwanted data stream.

5. Close the reward programs you do not actively use.

6. Don’t give magazine subscriptions as gifts. This provides the data exchange industry with info about you and the gift recipient. Also avoid mail- or online-order gifts such as flowers, steaks, etc.

7. Do NOT right-click to see images in emails. This is a clever way for online marketers to confirm that there is an actual person using the email address and helps them build their database.

8. Do not declare a political affiliation when you register to vote.

9. Send feedback to a restaurant or hotel by letter or email. Do not submit feedback cards or forms that they provide.

10. Get a free copy of your credit report by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com or order by phone at 877-322-8228. For DIY credit monitoring, order a free report every three months from a different bureau. Scan the report for unfamiliar information, such as accounts you don’t remember opening.

11. Tell the bureaus to stop selling your information to credit services by calling 888-567-8688 or visiting OptOutPrescreen.com. Doing so will reduce but not eliminate the number of preapproved credit card offers you receive.

12. Request a free public records report from ChoicePoint. Scan the report for addresses and other details not related to you.

13. Buy a mailbox that locks, or use a post office box. This will help prevent thieves from stealing your identity via paper mail.

14. Buy a crosscut paper shredder and shred junk mail to frustrate dumpster-diving identity thieves.

15. NEVER click a link from an e-mail message to log in to your bank or to any other financial institution. Type the secure site’s address directly or bookmark it. Otherwise, you risk having your identity stolen by phishers.

16. If you believe that you are a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center. Volunteers there can walk you through the process of restoring your identity.