Category: Quick Guide / Technology

⚡ Protecting Your Personal Information Online

Your personal information can be used to access your accounts, steal your identity, take your money, impersonate you, or learn private details about your life.

Use this guide to decide what information to share, strengthen your accounts, and respond if something private is exposed.

Know What You Are Protecting

Personal information includes:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Home address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Social Security number
• Driver’s license or identification number
• Bank and credit card information
• Account numbers
• Passwords
• Verification and recovery codes
• Medical information
• School or employment information
• Photographs and videos
• Current or future location
• Answers to security questions

Some information may not seem sensitive by itself. However, several details combined can help someone impersonate you.

Share Only What Is Necessary

Before entering or sending personal information, ask:

• Why is this information needed?
• Who is requesting it?
• Was I expecting the request?
• Is this the organization’s official website or app?
• Is every requested detail necessary?
• How will the information be stored or used?
• Is there a safer way to provide it?
• Can I leave optional fields blank?

Do not provide information simply because a form asks for it.

Protect Your Most Important Accounts

Start with accounts that can unlock other parts of your life:

• Email
• Banking
• Credit cards
• Medical portals
• Government accounts
• Cloud storage
• Mobile-phone account
• Social media

For each account:

1. Use a long, unique password.
2. Store the password securely.
3. Turn on multifactor authentication.
4. Review the recovery email and phone number.
5. Remove devices you no longer use.
6. Check recent login activity when available.
7. Sign out of old or shared devices.

Your email account deserves special protection because it is often used to reset other passwords.

Never Share Passwords or Verification Codes

Do not provide a password, PIN, recovery code, or one-time verification code to someone who contacts you unexpectedly.

Be suspicious if someone asks you to:

• Read a code sent to your phone
• Approve a login you did not start
• Share your screen while signing in
• Send a photograph of a password or recovery code
• Move money to protect it
• Provide remote access to your device

A legitimate support worker should not need to know your password.

Check Before Selecting a Link

A message may look as though it came from a bank, store, government agency, delivery company, employer, or someone you know.

Instead of selecting an unexpected link:

1. Close the message.
2. Open the organization’s official app.
3. Type its known website address yourself.
4. Call a verified number from a card, statement, or official website.
5. Ask the person directly if they sent the message.

Do not use the contact information included in a suspicious message.

Review App Permissions

Apps may request access to:

• Camera
• Microphone
• Photos
• Contacts
• Location
• Calendar
• Files
• Bluetooth
• Notifications

Ask whether the permission is necessary for the app’s purpose.

For example, a map app may need your location while you use it. A basic calculator probably does not need your contacts, microphone, or precise location.

Choose the least amount of access that allows the app to work. Options may include:

• Don’t Allow
• Ask Next Time
• Only While Using the App
• Selected Photos
• Approximate Location

Review permissions regularly and remove access from apps you no longer use.

Limit What You Post Publicly

Before posting, consider whether the information could reveal:

• Where you live
• Where you work or attend school
• Your daily routine
• When your home will be empty
• Your current location
• Your children’s names or schedules
• Your birthday
• Answers to security questions
• Identifying numbers on tickets, badges, or documents
• Private information visible in the background

Even a photo can reveal mail, addresses, computer screens, license plates, identification cards, or location details.

Assume that anything posted online could be copied, saved, or shared.

Review Social-Media Privacy Settings

Check:

• Who can see your posts
• Who can find your profile
• Who can send friend or follow requests
• Who can tag you
• Whether posts include your location
• Whether search engines can display your profile
• Which apps are connected to the account
• Whether your contact list is being uploaded

Private settings reduce exposure, but they do not guarantee that information will remain private.

Be selective when accepting friend or follow requests. A familiar photo or name does not prove that an account belongs to the real person.

Protect Your Devices

On your phone, tablet, and computer:

1. Use a passcode, password, fingerprint, or facial recognition.
2. Set the device to lock automatically.
3. Install operating-system and app updates.
4. Use the security tools included with the device.
5. Download apps only from trusted sources.
6. Back up important files.
7. Turn on a device-finding feature if available.
8. Avoid leaving the device unattended in public.

Do not ignore security updates for long periods. Updates often repair weaknesses that criminals can exploit.

Be Careful on Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi may be convenient, but it may not be secure.

While using it:

• Avoid banking or viewing highly sensitive information.
• Do not send private documents unless necessary.
• Confirm the exact network name with the business or location.
• Avoid networks that ask for unnecessary personal information.
• Turn off automatic connection to public networks.
• Use cellular data for sensitive tasks when possible.
• Forget the network after you leave.

A network name that looks official may have been created by someone nearby.

Protect Information in Photos and Documents

Before sending or uploading a file:

1. Open it and review every page.
2. Confirm that it is the correct file.
3. Remove information the recipient does not need.
4. Check the background of photographs.
5. Crop out identification numbers, addresses, or account information.
6. Confirm the recipient’s address.
7. Use a secure portal for sensitive documents when available.

Be cautious when sending tax forms, medical records, identification documents, financial statements, or anything containing a Social Security number.

Review Online Forms

Before submitting a form:

• Confirm that you are on the correct website.
• Look for misspellings in the address.
• Enter only required information.
• Read boxes that authorize sharing or marketing.
• Uncheck optional subscriptions you do not want.
• Avoid saving payment information on a shared device.
• Review the completed form before submitting it.

A padlock or https connection helps protect information while it travels, but it does not prove that the website or business is trustworthy.

Helpful Resources: Browse Safe Online Activity for products, equipment, services, or supplies related to this section.

Be Careful With Quizzes and Surveys

Online quizzes and social-media posts may ask about:

• Your first pet
• Your childhood street
• Your first school
• Your mother’s maiden name
• Your birth month
• Your favorite team
• Your first car

These details may also be used in security questions.

Avoid publicly sharing information that could help someone guess your passwords or recover your accounts.

Remove Accounts and Apps You No Longer Use

Old accounts may still contain personal information.

When you no longer need an account:

1. Download anything you want to keep.
2. Remove saved payment information.
3. Disconnect other apps and services.
4. Use the official account-deletion process.
5. Uninstall the app.
6. Confirm whether the company retained any information.

Deleting an app from your device does not necessarily delete the account.

Before Selling or Giving Away a Device

1. Back up the files you want to keep.
2. Sign out of accounts.
3. Remove the device from account lists.
4. Turn off device-finding and activation-lock features when instructed.
5. Remove SIM cards and memory cards.
6. Use the official factory-reset process.
7. Confirm that your personal information is gone.

Do not simply delete a few files and hand the device to someone else.

If Your Information Was Exposed

Act based on what was shared.

If You Shared a Password

1. Change it through the official website or app.
2. Change it anywhere else you reused it.
3. Turn on multifactor authentication.
4. Sign out of unfamiliar sessions.
5. Review the account for changes.

If You Shared Financial Information

1. Contact the bank or card issuer immediately.
2. Review recent transactions.
3. Replace the card or account number if recommended.
4. Turn on transaction alerts.
5. Report unauthorized activity.

If You Shared a Social Security Number

1. Visit IdentityTheft.gov.
2. Follow the personalized recovery steps.
3. Review your credit reports.
4. Consider placing a credit freeze or fraud alert.
5. Watch for unfamiliar accounts or bills.

If You Lost a Device

1. Use its official location or device-finding service.
2. Mark it as lost or lock it remotely.
3. Contact your mobile carrier if appropriate.
4. Change important passwords.
5. Remove payment cards from the device.
6. Report the loss if the device contains work, school, or medical information.

Quick Privacy Check

Ask yourself:

• Are my important accounts protected by unique passwords?
• Is multifactor authentication turned on?
• Are my devices locked and updated?
• Do my apps have only the permissions they need?
• Are my social-media posts limited to the right audience?
• Am I sharing only necessary information?
• Do I verify unexpected requests independently?
• Are important files backed up?
• Do I know what to do if my information is exposed?

You do not need to make every change at once. Start with your email, banking, phone, and most-used accounts.