2022 Data Privacy

As our lives become more digitally integrated, our data becomes more valuable.

Have you looked into the privacy terms and conditions for your devices? As a consumer, your concerns about privacy needs to stay limited. Keep reading to learn about some tips to minimize the amount of information the data collectors can access and resell.

1.Turn off personalized ads

You now have the options with your social media and email to depersonalize your advertising experience. Though they will still collect the data about your technology habits, but this puts limitations on targeted ads.

2. Skip the quiz

Many of those quizzes you take to learn what character you are in your favorite show or what food you like the most determines your horoscope, can be collecting information about you all along. Also, many online accounts are using security questions to learn more about who you are. This is a sneaky way for tech companies to gain a leg up on their marketing.

3.Go digital and shred the rest

Many forget the threats that come with paper documents. There is a that your papers are less secured in your mailbox or even trash. Thefts will rummage through and collect information that will be used against you. In this case, digital privacy is the safer route to store information.  The biggest tip here is to shred all you bank, health, and family mail before tossing it into the trash.

4.Understand what health data is being collected

HIPAA is a governmental act that protects patients’ information that is confidential between them and their health provider. But there is no act that is preventing your fitness device from collecting your information about your health. We suggest becoming more educated on the information that is being collected and for what reasons. This is done in your device settings, there should be a few different options.

Sources: The New York Times; Vox; The Washington Post; Fast Company; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Consumer Reports; NPR; Goldman Sachs; ZDNet.com