Do I need to care about my privacy online?

Welcome to the latest edition of Gary’s frequently asked questions. With permission from Gary, we’ve created a series of answers to some of the most common problems in the IT industry that Gary has asked us for help with over the time we’ve been his IT consultant. We’ll take it from here, thanks, Gary.

“Do I need to care about my privacy online?”

Yes, Gary, you do need to care about your privacy online. It’s pretty common sense that if somebody else gets your password information, you’re going to have a bad time, but what about Facebook? Twitter? Linkedin?

What you might not know is that criminals can use the data accessed through your social media accounts to create a profile of who you are, and then use that data to steal your identity! Remember when you ring your bank, and for security reasons, they ask you to confirm your name, age and address? Well Gary, what if some unscrupulous individual was to get a hold of that information!

This is just one example, however. You should keep an eye on your personal information online because once it’s out on the world wide web, it’s challenging to remove it. You really don’t want Katrina to see that photograph from Jenna’s wedding, do you? We thought not Gary.

It’s important to think about what data you allow to be public online. Potential employers can see your facebook profiles for instance, and that could be the deciding factor in entering a new role, or in some cases, being let go.

“Okay! I get it now. Now, my mom works in accounting and has some more questions, can you help?”

Well, Gary, we certainly can. Let’s have a chat, but this sounds like another GFAQ in the making. We’ll answer this question (and many more, we’re sure…) next time.

In the meantime, if you or your IT department are looking for assistance with your IT services, consider giving us a call like Gary and outsourcing to one of our experienced IT consultants. We can even be your IT department if you don’t have one. External or on-site, find out what AAG-IT can do for your IT services today on 0114 352 0688.