Safeguarding Sensitive Personal and Business Data in the Information Age
When participating in online activities such as: email, bulletin-board activities, chat rooms, Web browsing, shopping, or bill paying, the information you send is passing through a lot of different computer systems on its way to its destination. Different networks are passing your information on to the ultimate destination. In the process, said networks are capable of obtaining your personal information. Often times information that appears to be private is not. As such, the level of privacy you should expect is slim to none. Back to top
What You need To Know About...
Many online areas and activities are open to "public inspection". If participating in such activities, you should have no expectation of privacy. According to federal law, it isn't illegal for anyone to look over or divulge electronic communication if the communication is accessible to the public.
For example, if you post a message to a listserve, information such as your name and email address are usually attached with the message. In addition, your message can be viewed by, copied, or saved by anyone on the list. When replying to an email you have received in a listserve, be certain that the reply is addressed to only the person who sent you the original message. If you don't, your message will go to the entire list.
As far as your service provider goes, there are policies regarding giving out your identity and allowing access to information about you, but they vary from provider to provider. Respectable providers have a policy of informed consent. Others will sell their membership lists to marketers without the members knowledge or consent.
Often times, the presence of a security safeguard lead people to believe their communications are private. An example of this would be a bulletin board forum that requires a password. Originally the discussions are limited to the people with passwords, but there is nothing to stop those individuals from saving information and passing it along later. Another example of this false security takes place in chat conferences. Even though a company may claim such discussions are private, they may also be stored and transmitted at a later time.
Email is not private like postal mail. There are several reasons for this. One, a copy of the email is saved on your computer, as well as the recipients computer as well as every routing point along the way between the two computers. Two, your service provider can view and/or disclose information if either part involved gives consent. Three, if the email is written or received at your place of employment. Three, a service provider has reason to suspect the email contains damaging or harmful material. This last oexapmle requires justification. Random monitoring is not acceptable.
When browsing Web sites, you leave a trail behind of the places you've been. Web-browsing programs create files called "cookies" which are left on your hard drive. Cookies store information about your visit to the Web site and transmit that information the next time you visit the site. Cookies can be beneficial if you visit a particular website often and you need a password to access it. However, cookies can also interfere with your privacy. Marketers use cookies for sending junk mail and displaying banners that appeal to your preferences. Cookies take up space on your hard drive, as well as slow it down. There are certain software programs that clear cookies from your hard drive. Visit http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/ to download a copy of this program. I have used this program for years and am highly satisfied with it! I hope you will find it useful as well.
Encryption is used to scramble an email or file so it appears to be nonsense to someone who does not know how to unscramble it. It is a form of protection for an individual or organization's privacy.
When it comes to medical records, society as a whole tends to believe it is the only area to be truly confidential. With doctor-patient privilege along with other laws, we have come to think it is impossible for people to gain access to our information. This is not the case. The laws contain exemptions, and usually individuals waive their right to confidentiality in exchange for insurance coverage. This situation is exaggerate by the digitization of information and its availability over public networks. If you have an opinion on this topic you can contact your legislator. Visit www.congress.org to find your representative.
When it comes to privacy in the workplace, it is pretty safe to say there is none. Telephone monitoring, computer monitoring, email and voicemail monitoring all exist. You should become familiar with your employer's policy regarding privacy. If a policy is published, they are legally binding. Look in union contracts, administrative memos, or employee handbooks for privacy notices. Visit www.eff.org for more information on policies regarding workplace monitoring and filtering.
