Before you give any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and if it will be shared with others. Ask about privacy polices: do you have a choice about the use of your information; can you choose to have it kept confidential? Read the privacy policy on any website that is directed to children. Websites directed to children or that knowingly collect information from kids under 13 must post a notice of their information collection practices.

Put passwords on your all your accounts, including your credit card account, and your bank and phone accounts. Avoid using typical information — like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN, or your phone number — or obvious choices, like a series of consecutive numbers or your hometown football team. Don’t put all your identifying information in one holder in your purse, briefcase, or backpack.

To really determine the level of privacy that you are being offered on the internet you must determine the privacy for each website that you frequent. Determining the level of the privacy can assist you through the reading of the disclaimer to really learn how well your information is protected through the websites that you choose to visit.

You may have heard about the recent hotmail scandal that included a specific URL that allowed anyone to see another’s inbox as long as they were aware of the username. Although this is one of the privacy breaches that we hear about, there are many that we do not. There are many security breaches that we are not aware of and there is much private information being shared with others on a daily basis.

Can you truly use the internet with the expectation of privacy? Think about the information that you are providing to various companies on a daily basis and how much of your life you are sharing with the people that you have never met. The next time that you are entering your personal information, examine the privacy statement of the website to ensure that your information is truly protected.