Privacy Tips

Short, practical things you can do yourself — the same tips we share every week, collected in one place.

• Google Yourself in an Incognito Window Once a Month

  Google yourself in an incognito window once a month. What you find is what strangers, employers, and scammers find too.

• People-Search Sites Sell Your Address and Phone Number

  People-search sites like Whitepages and Spokeo sell your address and phone number to anyone. Most let you opt out — but your info pops back up, so removal has to be monthly, not once.

• Never Use Your Real Birthday on Social Media Profiles

  Never use your real birthday on social media profiles. It's one of the three pieces scammers need for identity theft.

• Turn Off Location Tagging on Your Phone's Camera

  Turn off location tagging on your phone's camera. Every photo you post can carry GPS coordinates in its metadata.

• That Quiz Is Fishing for Your Password-Reset Answers

  That quiz asking for your first car or childhood pet? Those are common password-reset questions. Don't answer them publicly.

• Use a Separate Email Address for Shopping and Signups

  Use a separate email address for shopping and signups. When (not if) a retailer gets breached, your main inbox stays clean.

• Check Your Bank Statements for Subscriptions You Forgot

  Check your bank statements for subscriptions you forgot. The average person wastes over $200 a year on recurring charges they don't use.

• Your Voter Registration Record Is Public in Most States

  Your voter registration record is public in most states — name, address, party. Data brokers scrape it by the millions.

• Freeze Your Credit With All Three Bureaus

  Freeze your credit with all three bureaus. It's free, takes 10 minutes, and it's the single best identity-theft defense.

• Don't Post Boarding Passes Online

  Don't post boarding passes online. The barcode contains your full name, frequent flyer number, and booking reference.

• Real Estate Sites Keep Sold-Home Listings Up for Years

  Real estate sites keep sold-home listings up for years — with your name, purchase price, and photos of the interior.

• If Your 'Bank' Calls Asking for Account Details, Hang Up

  Scammers spoof caller ID. If your 'bank' calls asking for account details, hang up and call the number on your card.

• Delete Old Accounts You Don't Use

  Delete old accounts you don't use. Every dormant profile is a breach waiting to happen with your data in it.

• Guard Your Phone Number Like Your Social Security Number

  Your phone number is the key to your digital life — password resets go through it. Guard it like your Social Security number.

• Public Wi-Fi Is a Snooping Playground

  Public Wi-Fi at coffee shops and airports is a snooping playground. Use your phone's hotspot instead.

• That 'Free' App Is Making Money Somehow — It's Selling Your Data

  That 'free' app making money somehow? It's selling your data. Check what permissions every app actually needs.

• Opt Out of Pre-Approved Credit Offers

  Opt out of pre-approved credit offers at optoutprescreen.com — it also reduces the junk mail with your personal info on it.

• Shred Mail With Your Name, Address, or Account Numbers

  Shred mail with your name, address, or account numbers. Dumpster diving for identity theft is still a thing.

• Check Which Breaches Already Exposed Your Email

  Check haveibeenpwned.com to see which breaches already exposed your email. Then change those passwords.

• An Authenticator App Can't Be SIM-Swapped

  Two-factor authentication by SMS is better than nothing — but an authenticator app can't be SIM-swapped.

• Your Kid's School Directory Can End Up on People-Search Sites

  Your kid's school directory, team roster, or yearbook photo can end up on people-search sites attached to your address.

• Never Throw Away Old Phones Without a Factory Reset

  Never throw away old phones without a factory reset. Even 'deleted' photos can be recovered from storage.

• Data Brokers Build Profiles With 1,000+ Data Points on You

  Data brokers build profiles with 1,000+ data points on you: purchases, health interests, political leanings. All for sale.

• That Extended Car Warranty Call Bought Your Info From a Data Broker

  That extended car warranty call? They bought your number, car model, and purchase date from a data broker.

• Review Your Facebook Ad Preferences

  Review your Facebook ad preferences — advertisers have sorted you into categories you'd never guess.

• Don't Use Public USB Charging Stations Without a Data Blocker

  Don't use public USB charging stations without a data blocker. 'Juice jacking' is rare but real.

• A People-Search Address Plus a Vacation Post Is a Burglary Invitation

  Your home address on a people-search site + a social media vacation post = a burglary invitation. Remove one of them.

• Medical Data Brokers Sell Lists HIPAA Doesn't Cover

  Medical data brokers sell lists of people with specific conditions to marketers. HIPAA doesn't cover them.

• Re-Check People-Search Sites Quarterly — Removals Expire

  Set a calendar reminder to re-check people-search sites quarterly. Removals expire — your data comes back.

• When a Company Asks for Your Social Security Number, Ask If It's Required

  When a company asks for your Social Security number, ask if it's required by law. Half the time, it isn't.