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Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, shares some tips about online privacy as part of the international observance of Data Privacy Day on Saturday, Jan. 28.  Michael joined NCSA in 2008 and prior to that spent 25 years in the field of victim's services at the National Center for Victims of Crime and other organizations.

Join Verizon, NCSA and others at 1:30 p.m. ET today (Jan. 27) for a Twitter Party discussion of data privacy and tips on how to protect your personal information online.  The party hashtag is #privacyday and you can register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2807420069.  I would also encourage you to find out about the online privacy solutions offered by Verizon by visiting www.verizon.com/viss.  

How frequently do you purchase something online or sign up for a new service?

Now think about the extent to which you share your personal billing, contact, and other private information in order to achieve such tasks.

Chances are you’ve shared a lot of information online trusting that this data would be safely protected.

But what if it wasn’t kept confidential? What if some of your data was sold or mishandled in some way?               

This notion might encourage you to take a closer look at how your data is being collected, shared, and stored online.

Saturday (January 28^th) is Data Privacy Day (DPD) – an annual international celebration designed to promote awareness about privacy and education about best data privacy practices. (http://www.staysafeonline.org/dpd))

We’re dedicated to helping improve conditions of online safety and security for all users but we also know that the Internet cannot become safer without everyone doing their part.

Improving privacy is our shared responsibility and we’re asking you to help spread the word about the importance of improving privacy practices online.

You can help by talking to your family, coworkers, friends and other community members about the importance of data privacy.  Here are some tips:

• STOP. THINK CONNECT.  Think carefully about the kinds of information, comments, photos and videos you share online.
•  If you use social networking sites, learn about the privacy settings and use them to control how you share personal information and to define your audience.  Default settings are often public to all, and you may prefer a more limited audience of friends.  Log out of social networking sites when you complete your session.
• Research apps before you download them.  Make sure you know what information you are sharing with the providers of the apps, such as unique IDs (essentially supercookies), phone numbers, demographic information and location data.  Many consumers who download apps may not know what information they are revealing about themselves, to whom and for what purpose. 
• Avoid sharing certain personal information publicly online including: your date of birth, home address, phone numbers, social security number, financial information and travel plans.
•  Only enable geolocation when the benefits outweigh the risk

For more ways to actively manage your privacy, visit the “What You Can Do” section of the Data Privacy Day website: http://www.staysafeonline.org/dpd/get-involved/what-you-can-do

With these resources, you can help make the Internet a safer place for all digital citizens. Cheers to a successful Data Privacy Day 2012 and increased protection of your personal information!