Private Life: Do You Still Have One?

In present times, our private lives are becoming more and more public all the time. Has your privacy been compromised? For an awlful lot of us, the answer is yes! Not very long ago, the biggest concern for most of us, was someone else getting a hold of our social security number. And although that still remains an issue, it's now just one of the many things we have to worry could be stolen and used to wreak havoc on our lives. Think about all the money people spend today to insure their privacy is secured. And beyond that, a lot of time is spent going to great lengths to protect our private life. Here are just a few of the steps you should be taking, so you don't end up wondering, has your privacy been compromised?

1) Buy a shredder ( a good one, not strip cut) , make sure every billing statement you receive by mail is shredded, once it's no longer needed. Don't keep old billing statements laying around the house. Especially in a desk drawer, in a file folder labeled so anyone can find it easily. What ever you do, don't throw anything in the trash that could reveal any personal details about you and your family including your name and address. Keep your private life, private! Ensure you still have one!

2) Get a safe deposit box. Keep all documents that are important and have personal information on them (details a person could use to steal your identity) in your box at the bank. Items such as, your birth certificate, passport, car title, bank statements, mortgage statements, tax records etc.. Just about anything you can't shred! Most of these particular documents you have to keep, but usally don't need to have 24/7 access to anyway. Keep in mind, a person only needs a few details about you or a family member to cause enormous problems in your household.

3) Close credit accounts you seldom or never use. Many individuals have credit cards for example, that they opened just to get a low rate on a balace transfer and never use the card after paying off the balance. Only maintain the accounts that get used frequently. the ones that never get used end up being forgotten about, and often times end up being the ones compromised, and by the time you figure it out, it's a huge problem. As the old saying goes "out of sight, out of mind"

4) Internet security! Use Norton Internet Security or some sort of program to ensure your computer is protected. Even more so if you are using a wireless internet connection. Never log onto internet sites where you do business such as banking websites (account mgmt or bill pay) or sites where you make purchases on a wireless connection. Use a wired connection in these instances. Don't depend on the firewall included with your windows operating system to keep you safe. It isn't safe! Consider using Mozilla Firefox as your internet browser. Internet Explorer is anything but safe! If your internet provider is broadband (cable or DSL), which although much faster and all around better, your computer is always connected to the internet. Without a program to protect your computer, someone could hack into your system while you are sleeping. Don't become an easy target!

These are some of the basic things that must be done to ensure your privacy is never compromised. Although 9/11 has changed our lives forever and we may have to be subjected to a bit more scrutiny in order for our nation to be safe as a whole, as individuals and families, we must take at the very least, some basic steps to ensure that our private lives stay just that, Private!