Protect Yourself!

The internet is not what it used to be. Although it is full of endless, valuable information, it has also been polluted with trash and traps that people lay out intending to steal your personal information. With websites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and Blogger, we put our information out there for everyone to see. With networking websites such as these, it is important to protect ourselves. The most important thing is what we post on these sites! Have I posted too much personal information to everyone? Have I posted pictures or blog posts that might seem inappropriate to a boss or our friends and family? These are questions we must ask ourselves, and if we answer yes, we need to fix the problem. I sat down with my wife to discuss the information we have posted on our websites. We went over the safety issues that we've discussed in class and followed the procedures necessary to keep us safe. I told her about the https at the beginning of web addresses and how it means the site is secure. After discussing this information with my wife, it made me realize that everyone should make sure this information is discussed as a family. Another website that I am familiar with is annualcreditreport.com. This website allows you to check your credit report for free from three different credit bureaus each year. So if you check one bureau each time, you can space it out every 4 months to make sure everything looks correct. You wont be able to see your credit score, but you will see your report. It is important to check this often to make sure your identity is protected and secure. If we remember to use common sense when using the internet, we will have nothing to worry about. Always remember to be on a secure websites when typing in personal information and never give information to those who you don't know! We don't want someone stealing our identity and ruining our lives.