Data Privacy Day reminds us to guard our information

On Saturday the U.S. and other nations will recognize Data Privacy Day. This is a good opportunity to remember to keep your personal data safe and sound. While new scams seem to come out daily, we continue to be amazed by the number of folks who still fall for tricks that have been around for years.

With so many convenient websites out there nowadays, it seems almost rote to provide personal information to any and every site. Some folks, however, will be a little more prudent.

When providing information on the Web, make sure you know who is asking for that information. Also, make sure you know what is being asked for, and why. Does the amount and detail of the information being requested correspond to what is needed to complete the transaction?

Oftentimes we see folks who are blinded by technology. That is, they behave differently when online versus how they are in real life. A good test is to ask yourself, If I was dealing with a real live person, would I give out this information?

Another area in which we see folks being careless is using publicly accessible Wi-Fi hot spots. Many such hot spots are set up without any encryption, and as such, it is quite easy to literally steal your data out of the air. Therefore, sensitive transactions should not be conducted over such a medium. Tip: If you do not have to enter a password, the hot spot is probably not encrypted.

Even encrypted hot spots can be problematic. While the vast majority of hot-spot providers are upstanding businesses, there are a few that can steal your data after it hits the wireless network. Remember, your data is only encrypted between your laptop and the wireless hub; everything after that is under the control of whoever owns the network.

If you must conduct business over a wireless network that requires sensitive info, such as banking or even shopping, look for secure websites. These site addresses begin with "https://" or, in rare cases, "shttp://," as opposed to "http://."

That extra "s" means that all data that goes to and from the website is encrypted. This prevents anyone along the way from stealing your data.

Note that "along the way" can actually involve up to a dozen different network providers or carriers. And again, while the vast majority of network provider employees are upstanding folks who have passed background checks, there’s always the chance of that one bad apple.

Finally, as much as you try to be safe, security is not always foolproof. So make sure your data is backed up. Nowadays this can be done very easily with a USB or external hard drive. Sixty-four-gigabyte USB drives can be had for around $50 nowadays and are a tremendous investment. 64GB is enough to suit the needs of all but the most die-hard users.

John Agsalud is an IT expert with more than 20 years of information technology experience. Reach him at johnagsalud@yahoo.com.