{"id":40664,"date":"2017-09-22T17:38:34","date_gmt":"2017-09-23T00:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=40664"},"modified":"2017-09-22T17:38:34","modified_gmt":"2017-09-23T00:38:34","slug":"6-tips-protecting-personally-identifiable-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/6-tips-protecting-personally-identifiable-information\/","title":{"rendered":"6 tips for protecting personally identifiable Information"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-40665\" src=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/personalinformation2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/personalinformation2.jpg 680w, https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/personalinformation2-250x167.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Personally Identifiable Information, or PII, is unique information used to identify individuals. PII includes contact information such as phone numbers and addresses or more private information such as a Social Security numbers.<\/p>\n<p>For most people the amount of PII found online isn\u2019t worrisome. If you do an online search of your name, you might see yourself mentioned in an article or social media post. There\u2019s a good possibility your address and phone number are available too. In rare cases you might find even more sensitive information. To find out what a determined voyeur can uncover, try searching on a service like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.recordsfinder.com\" data-processed=\"1\">www.recordsfinder.com<\/a> . Fortunately, there are ways to protect your Personally Identifiable Information from falling into the wrong hands.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Basic Personally Identifiable Information includes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All known names including maiden names and middle names<\/li>\n<li>Names of family members<\/li>\n<li>Past and present known addresses<\/li>\n<li>Email addresses including business emails<\/li>\n<li>Phone numbers including cell phone and business phones<\/li>\n<li>Employment history<\/li>\n<li>Education<\/li>\n<li>Photographs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Highly sensitive Personally Identifiable Information includes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Social Security numbers<\/li>\n<li>Financial information including bank accounts, mortgages and personal loans<\/li>\n<li>Criminal records<\/li>\n<li>Driver\u2019s license number<\/li>\n<li>Health care information<\/li>\n<li>Fingerprints<\/li>\n<li>Vehicle registration information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How to control your Personally Identifiable Information<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While most people have some PII online, no wants every detail available to the general public. If you\u2019re concerned that too much of your PII is available online, there are a few things you can do to keep it in check.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong> Understand who has access to your information<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Before giving personal information to a business, ask why it\u2019s needed, where it\u2019s stored, and who has access.\u00a0 There are laws in place to protect your privacy but due diligence is essential. Always know what happens to your information once you turn it over.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong> Know your rights<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to give your Social Security number out to everyone who requests it. In fact, many states have laws that allow you to avoid using your SSN if it\u2019s not for employment or financial purposes.\u00a0 For example, in many states you\u2019re not required to give your SSN to the cable company, even if it\u2019s requested.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong> Be careful what you share online<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>When you post personal information to a public account, you\u2019re opening it up to the whole world. Change your social media accounts to share photographs or restaurant \u201ccheck ins\u201d with select friends rather than on a public post. No one but your friends and family needs to know where you live, where you eat, or what you look like.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong> Make sure you\u2019re sharing to a secure server<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If you have to share sensitive information make sure it\u2019s to a secure server. Secure servers encrypt your information making it more difficult to read or steal.\u00a0 You can identify a secure server by \u201chttps\u201d (instead of \u201chttp\u201d) in the web URL. Also, if you see a padlock symbol on your navigation bar it\u2019s good \u2013 that means your data is encrypted.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><strong> Avoid sharing PII on public WiFi<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Public WiFi isn\u2019t always protected. Avoid sharing sensitive information while online at the local coffee shop unless it\u2019s a secure network.\u00a0 Steer clear of any network that doesn\u2019t ask you to sign in or check in to their privacy agreement.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><strong> Use strong passwords<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Be smart when it comes to passwords: use a combination of upper and lower case letters, symbols, and numbers for better protection from hackers and identity thieves. It\u2019s best to use unique strong passwords for all your important accounts. Instead of making passwords easy to remember, make them difficult to duplicate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be smart when sharing Personally Identifiable Information<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A few more ways you can protect your PII include always looking for a company\u2019s privacy policy before sharing sensitive information. If you can\u2019t find it on their website, request a copy.\u00a0 Take time to understand exactly how businesses are using your information. And, don\u2019t download anything from shady websites, especially if they\u2019re offering free software. A few precautions now can save you and your family from a serious breach of privacy later.<\/p>\n<p>For more tips, such as destroying old computers so your personal and financial data can\u2019t be stolen, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/articles\/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure\" data-processed=\"1\">https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/articles\/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Personally Identifiable Information, or PII, is unique information used to identify individuals. PII includes contact information such as phone numbers and addresses or more private information such as a Social Security numbers. For most people the amount of PII found online isn\u2019t worrisome. If you do an online search of your name, you might see [&hellip;]\n&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/6-tips-protecting-personally-identifiable-information\/\" class=\"more\">learn more&rarr;<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":40665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[136895],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-40664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-pii"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>6 tips for protecting personally identifiable Information - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/6-tips-protecting-personally-identifiable-information\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 tips for protecting personally identifiable Information - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Personally Identifiable Information, or PII, is unique information used to identify individuals. 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