A Creative Communications Agency

With the technology we have developed there is more of your personal information floating around than you may realize. How many online forms have you filled out to get access to information, news, a free trial offer, special offers, or services that make our lives more convenient because we can now use a computer rather than going into a bank?

More and more marketers are trying to create personal messages for each user on the web. The more information we can gather about a consumer the better we can craft our message to that individual to get a response. Think about the information you entered into MSN, AOL, Google, Yahoo… to set up an email account. Now imagine that all of your information is available to those companies to possibly sell to other businesses for marketing purposes. Many of these companies have privacy policies that they mention not releasing your information to other companies. But what about the companies they own? Look at the businesses in the AOL/Time Warner family.

Would you listen closer to a TV ad that specifically included your name? It would be a shock at first, possibly making you happy, but then turning to rage when you realize someone has released your information. That is what is being discussed with several of the large internet based companies that are collecting your information. They are collecting a lot of information and some are considering to allowing advertisers to market directly to you with your name. Is that right? Is it fair? Are they allowed to do that? Did you really read the Terms and Conditions when you checked that box before you hit I Agree?

They say: “don’t sign anything without reading it first.” Well, why would you send out your name, phone number, email address, or possibly your social security number without reading the fine print first?

A few helpful recommendations to keep your personal information safer on the web:

1) Set up junk email addresses - If you want to get access to a free trial offer or any other information that you just want a quick glimpse at, set up a phony email address. Use a junk name and only fill in the Required information.

2) Don’t sign up for everything in sight - Sure it is free access to some special information but do you really want to be bothered the rest of your life because you gave out your phone number to see a special video clip?

3) If you do find something you truly value, make sure you know what your getting into - Information on the web can look official but make sure you really know who and what they are.

4) Know the network you’re on - With free Wi-Fi becoming more and more common in places like coffee houses, campuses, and even neighborhoods, realize who could get access to the same network. It’s possible for people to go into your computer through a public Wi-Fi and see exactly what is on your computer and where you have been and the information you enter.

5) Don’t talk to strangers - It’s the first lesson our parents gave us when we ventured out of the house. Why are we so forgetful when we are on the web? It is one of the most common ways for hackers and the “Bad People” get into our information and build a false sense of security.