Identity Theft

What's that famous line in all the spy movies where the CIA agent reminds another character as events occur and conflicts arise; "Trust No One!" Well, my friends judging by how social networking is shaping up, I'd say the Internet is also on that list. Why you ask? Because there are people, humans, and you know, there are folks everywhere behind the scenes making it work and deciding which way it has to evolve. There is a lot of money and value in information and big data, it is big business - it means power and control of over every individual, country, and yes, even the world - seriously. Okay, let's discuss this one shall we?

According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in a Wall Street Journal article on March 27, 2012 titled; "Regulators Urge Web Privacy Rules" by Julia Angwin; "Simply put, your computer is your property. No one has the right to put anything on [your computer] that you don't want."

Okay thanks for that clarification, but please answer another question for me if you will; if the advertisers and marketers cannot track you, does that mean that only the government can?

Now then, you might say to me, "Lance, give it a rest and stop listening to Conspiracy Theory Talk Shows like Coast-to-Coast AM every night," and yes, I get that debating point, truly I do, still, just because the American People aren't paranoid doesn't mean they aren't looking at everything you are doing. It's almost as if Big Data and Big Brother are working together to replace the "Spirit in The Sky" when you die or so Norman Greenbaum says.

Next, in case you aren't on the EFF Electronic Freedom Foundation email list, why not read this article posted on March 30, 2012 in the New York Times titled; "Conflict Over How Open 'Do Not Track' Talks Will Be," by Edward Wyatt and Tanzina Vega which stated; "Technology companies want to talk with the government about protecting privacy on the Internet. They just want those talks to be private."

Fine, more private government meetings, this after President Obama allots some $200 million in his budget for "Big Data" and more government "clouds" and data centers, along with the proverbial national security issues and anti-cyber warfare campaign. So, it's readily obvious to me, and realize I am on the side of the "good guys" but it is still obvious to me that we are going to track everyone, and keep all the data in a giant data center storage in Utah somewhere from the reports I've been reading, no not on Art Bell's Coast-to-Coast Website.

Personally, I've been observing humans in their natural habitat some four and a half centuries, and seriously, I'm not sure if I can trust one of them, well, except myself. And when it comes to groups of humans involved in making money, politics, Machiavellian rule, or crony capitalism - hmm? Doubtful. Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Controversial Internet Issues. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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If you are a frequent internet user, then you should definitely be concerned about identity theft. Every year 10 million people fall victim to identity theft. You can avoid becoming a victim by not giving out your personal information and making sure your computer is properly protected.

Whatever you do online, make sure you refrain from giving out your personal information to people who you don't know. If you receive an email from your bank or other financial institution asking for information, do not click on the link in the email. Call the bank or institution or enter their web address in your internet browser directly. Financial institutions should not be requesting information through email. If yours does, then you may want to consider closing your account and switching to a different institution.

When making a purchase online, do not enter your credit card information unless you are on a secure internet page. A secure internet page can be identified by an "https" prefix to the web address instead of the typical "http" prefix. Many times you will also notice a symbol of a closed padlock to indicate a secure webpage as well.

You can further prevent online identity theft by choosing difficult-to-crack passwords. You should use passwords with a mixture of numbers, capital letters, and lowercase letters and symbols at least eight characters in length, but the more the better. Make sure you avoid using the same password for every site. Instead, write the websites and their usernames and passwords down on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe and inconspicuous yet accessible place. Just make sure you do not save them as a file on your computer. As a matter of fact, make sure you do not store any personal information such as credit card numbers or social security numbers on your computer, cell phone, or other electronic device.

You also want to make sure your computer protection software is up to date. It is imperative this day in age to have good antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall installed and constantly updated. You can find a lot of good free software out there that will perform these tasks just fine, but many of them do not update automatically. For ultimate online protection, it is usually worth the price to purchase a good internet security system. This will ensure your computer security, and your private information is kept up to date.

Now that you know how to prevent becoming a victim of online identity theft, it's time to put these methods to use. Just remember, be very skeptical about strange emails and make sure you make purchases from a trusted, secure website. It is also a good idea to use many difficult-to-crack passwords and ensure your computer protection software is up to date. By following these methods you can significantly lower your chance of being one of the 10 million yearly victims of identity theft.

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