Want to stop your identity being stolen, or photos being
misused? Worried about how much information others can
collect about your activity? Or do you distrust online
banking? THE SMART GIRL'S GUIDE TO PRIVACY will help.
Violet Blue is a journalist with an interest in cybercrime
and hacking. She tailors this excellent, easily followed
guide to women, but it can apply to anyone. Women, as she
says, are more at risk than men. I'm just passing on some
of her tips but I recommend to read the whole book.
The first step Violet suggests is to Google your own name,
in quotes; "Mary Brown" to see what is out there already;
don't forget images. Google your address, phone number and
social security number. View your social sites as a
visitor and tailor the privacy settings. Tape over your
webcam - on anything from a tablet to a phone to a camera -
to stop someone activating it. Password-protect any
computer or phone you use and never sign in to an account
from someone else's phone or tablet; the website recognises
a returning computer and this makes it easier for someone
else to log in as you. Install ad-blocking and spyware
finding software; this can be free. You can set up Google
Alerts for your name and personal details - these alerts
let you know when something about you is added to a site
Google searches.
Disturbingly, Violet tells us that it is safer to go online
with a male name than a female name. She suggests women try
it. Women are targeted, looks appraised and abusive
comments passed about them. Women and gender-different
people are perceived as weaker and unsupported, by
chauvinists or trolls. And stalkers can ruin a woman's
life. Personally I would suggest that if this happens to
you, complain to the site overseers and find another site
or forum. There are a lot of male allies, Violet reassures
us. She warns that a stalker may set up a fake name
and 'friend' you which means they may be able to follow
your activities and track your movements across many
different linked sites.
We learn about a Miss Teen USA whose computer webcam was
hacked by a creep so that he could take pictures of her
without activating the light. He tried to blackmail her for
the photos, or he would share them on line. Turned out he
was blackmailing twelve girls this way. Sites exist on a
black market to sell lists of hacked cams and the pictures
taken with them - generally of girls.
Never scan or photograph any ID and send it to others on
line. Nor should you reveal private or sensitive
information in forums online. If you wouldn't tell
something to a creepy man on the street, says Violet, think
twice about writing it online. Violet gives a list broken
into red alert, yellow and green for data it is safe to
share. Don't forget that sites may be hacked and your data
stolen. Does your pizza delivery site really need your date
of birth? If it does, lie. Several sites demand the same
information from you so a person getting access to one can
get into them all. Big sites like Twitter and Facebook
continually sell your data to many other sites and
marketers, and they keep switching the privacy settings
every few months. Either don't use Facebook or check often.
Facebook has sold its users' data to a Russian-based search
engine. You can't get it back. Your employer can legally
monitor your computer use on work equipment; do your
banking or personal mail from home.
Install antitheft apps on mobile computing and phones. A
friend of mine had an IPhone6 stolen on the first day she
had it. If she had put on a tracking app, she could have
tracked its movements, used the camera to see where it was
and who had it, and given the data to police. Even your
personal fitness monitor can stealthily give your details
to an app like Facebook which can tell the world your exact
location and jogging routine. Find how to prevent it.
There's succinct technical information and basics like,
back up everything, including family photos. And make sure
passwords are not too easily guessable. Not your pet's name
- Paris Hilton's phone was hacked this way. Violet lists
the steps to take if you think a social profile or credit
card has been hacked. She also tells you how to make a
smart dating site profile to block con artists.
If you take half of the precautions in THE SMART GIRL'S
GUIDE TO PRIVACY you are already beating the scammers,
creeps and phishers. You can keep doing what you like to
do. Just do it smarter, says Violet Blue. She recounts her
own experience of being cyber bullied for a year by a man
and a woman, the legal recourse she took, and why she is
now on the advisory board for a group called Without My
Consent. I recommend this sensitive, smart and practical
book to every modern computer user, especially women.
The whirlwind of social media, online dating, and mobile
apps can make life a dream—or a nightmare. For every
trustworthy website, there are countless jerks, bullies, and
scam artists who want to harvest your personal information
for their own purposes. But you can fight back, right
now.
In The Smart Girl's Guide to Privacy,
award-winning author and investigative journalist Violet
Blue shows you how women are targeted online and how to keep
yourself safe. Blue's practical, user-friendly advice will
teach you how to:
Delete personal content from
websites
Use website and browser privacy controls
effectively
Recover from and prevent identity
theft
Figure out where the law protects you–and
where it doesn't
Set up safe online
profiles
Remove yourself from people-finder
websites
Even if your privacy has already been
compromised, don't panic. It's not too late to take control.
Let The Smart Girl's Guide to Privacy help you cut
through the confusion and start protecting your online life.
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