[e-privacy] [EPIC/USA] "Protect Your Privacy in The New Year"

[pinna]

Top Ten Consumer Privacy Resolutions
http://www.epic.org/privacy/2004tips.html


Protect Your Privacy in The New Year!


1. Engage in "privacy self defense." Don't share any personal 
information with businesses unless it is absolutely necessary (for 
delivery of an item, etc.). Don't give your phone number, address, or 
name to retail stores. If you do, they can sell that information or use 
it for telemarketing and junk mail. If they ask for your information, 
say "it's none of your business," or give "John Doe, 555-1212, 123 Main 
St." Don't return product warranty cards. Don't complete consumer 
surveys even if they appear to be anonymous. Profilers can build in 
barely-perceptible codes that link you to the survey, and this data goes 
straight to direct marketers.


2. Pay with cash where possible. Electronic transactions leave a 
detailed dossier of your activities that can be accessed by the 
government or sold to telemarketers. Paying with cash is one of the best 
ways to protect privacy and stay out of debt.


3. Install anti-spyware, anti-virus, and firewall software on your 
computer. If your computer is connected to the Internet, it is a target 
of malicious viruses and spyware. There are free spyware-scanning 
utilities available online, and anti-virus software is probably a 
necessary investment if you own a Windows-based PC. Firewalls keep 
unwanted people out of your computer and detect when malicious software 
on your own machine tries to communicate with others.


4. Use a temporary rather than a permanent change of address. If you 
move in 2005, be sure to forward your mail by using a temporary change 
of address order rather than a permanent one. The junk mailers have 
access to the permanent change of address database; they use it to 
update their lists. By using the temporary change of address, you'll 
avoid unwanted junk mail.


5. Opt out of prescreened offers of credit. By calling 1-888-567-8688 or 
by visiting https://www.optoutprescreen.com/, you can stop receiving 
those annoying letters for credit and insurance offers. This is an 
important step for protecting your privacy, because those offers can be 
intercepted by identity thieves.


6. Choose Supermarkets that Don't Use Loyalty Cards. Be loyal to 
supermarkets that offer discounts without requiring enrollment in a 
loyalty club. If you have to use a supermarket shopping card, be sure to 
exchange it with your friends or with strangers.


7. Opt out of financial, insurance, and brokerage information sharing. 
Be sure to call all of your banks, insurance companies, and brokerage 
companies and ask to opt out of having your financial information 
shared. This will cut down on the telemarketing and junk mail that you 
receive.


8. Request a free copy of your credit report by visiting 
http://www.annualcreditreport.com. All Americans are now entitled to a 
free credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting 
agencies, Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. You can engage in a free 
form of credit monitoring by requesting one of your three reports every 
four months. By staggering your request, you can check for errors 
regularly and identify potential problems in your credit report before 
you lose out on a loan or home purchase. Currently, these reports are 
available to residents of most western states. By September 2005, all 
Americans will have free access to their credit report.


9. Enroll all of your phone numbers in the Federal Trade Commission's 
Do-Not-Call Registry. The Do-Not-Call Registry (http://www.donotcall.gov 
or 1-888-382-1222) offers a quick and effective shield against unwanted 
telemarketing. Be sure to enroll the numbers for your wireless phones, too.


10. File a complaint. If you believe a company has violated your 
privacy, contact the Federal Trade Commission, your state Attorney 
General, and the Better Business Bureau. Successful investigations 
improve privacy protections for all consumers.


For more information about privacy, visit the Electronic Privacy 
Information Center at http://www.epic.org/