Essay Sample about Data Protection

How can people protect their data? To reduce any possible risks to losing data privacy, people can do a multitude of things. When using social media, the first step to protecting your data privacy is to only share basic information about yourself. Putting optional data can put you and others at a risk of being hacked. In the passage ‘Social Networks can Jeopardize Your Data Privacy’, it quotes “After they guess your login name (which is often simply your email address), they click on the ‘Forget your password?’ button. They can then rapidly find out your answers to security questions such as “What is your date of birth?” In the same passage, on paragraph 7, it also states “However, personal details and identification should be kept to a minimum and only given to a social networking site that is trustworthy.” Using the information from the passage, it shows that putting too much information on social media sites can be dangerous, and can risk getting your account and personal information taken, which is why you should keep the details about yourself or another to a minimum, and only to a trustworthy site. Another important way to keep your social data safe from the hands of cyber criminals, is to be unique with the passwords you use for all of the social media accounts you own. In the article, it explains “From the information they glean from a social networking account, they may be able to penetrate other accounts, too. This is especially true if you have the bad habit of using the same password for different accounts.” Which shows that using the same password for many accounts can also put yourself at a risk.

Within your cell phone, there is a lot of information about yourself that can endanger your privacy as well. This could be when installing an application, especially when the application does not ask for your permission to access your cell phone. In the passage ‘Your Cell Phone May be Telling Tales on You’ by Debra Wu, it says “Apps that make strange or exaggerated demands for access perhaps should not be installed.” To prevent your personal data from being recorded, you should only install applications that you trust, even if it is owned by major companies and vendors.

Your Social Security, which is a string of nine digits, is what identifies one individual from the other. If your Social Security were to get leaked, you and your privacy of personal data is at a risk. To prevent your Social Security number from being leaked or obtained, you should be careful when giving your number out to anyone even when asked for it. In the source ‘ssa.gov’ or ‘The Social Security Administration’, whenever asked for your Social Security number, “You should ask why your number is needed, how it will be used, and what will happen if you refuse.” The answers you receive from these questions is what can be the deciding factor on whether or not you will disclose your Social Security number.

These are a few of the ways on how to keep your personal data and information, such as your location, confidential and safe from everyone besides yourself. Keeping your Social Security number private can as well prevent yourself from being impersonated and having your identity stolen.