Page 23 - Leisure Living Magazine Spring 2019

Protecting Your Personal
Information
“Law You Can Use” Courtesy of the Ohio State Bar Association
Q: I’ve been reading about data breaches affecting consumers. What can I do to protect myself ?
A: While there is no foolproof way to pre- vent the loss or theft of your information, you can take these steps to manage the risk:
• limit what you share;
• know how your information will be used; • monitor your financial records;
• review your credit report;
• report suspicious activity; and
• don’t ignore notification of data breaches. Q: How do I limit what I share?
A: When providing any information online,
assume that nothing will remain private. While there is no way to remain truly anonymous when sharing your personal information, you can protect yourself by limiting what you share. For example, think twice
before posting vaca-
tion pictures online:
you are advertising
the fact you are away
from your home.
Likewise, when
shopping online,
consider what infor-
mation is really nec-
essary to complete a
transaction and pro-
vide only that data.
Also, look out for
pre-checked option boxes that may result in unwanted advertisements and increased sharing of your information. As a rule, share only the minimum information required to complete the task.
Q: How do I know what will be done with my information?
A: Remember that, once you turn over any information, online or otherwise, you no longer control what happens to it. Social media posts, website registrations, Internet shopping orders and online information services all require, or at
least request, your personal information. Some information is necessary for the experience. For example, when ordering a product online, you’ll have to identify yourself, provide shipping information and credit card data. But website organizations also gather information that they can use to deliver advertisements and the like, or they may sell the information to others for use.
Before providing any information, you should read the website privacy policies and terms of use. The law requires that these parties accurate- ly describe how your information will be used and secured. If the policy leaves you unsure of how your personal information will be treated, shop somewhere else.
Q: What can I do to spot identity theft?
A: You can increase your chances of detect- ing that your identity has been stolen by close- ly monitoring your records. Reading your bank and credit card statements and looking for suspicious activi- ty can be an effective way to spot illegal use of your information before too much time has passed. Banks also offer the capability for you to review your accounts online, so you don’t need to wait for monthly written statements to spot suspicious activity. If you see something odd, report it to your bank immediately; financial institutions are generally required to rectify an unauthorized transaction when a customer reports such a transaction to the financial institution as unau-
thorized within a reasonable period of time.
Q: What should I do when I receive a notice of a data breach affecting information I’ve provided?
Continued on page 24
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