Fight Identity Theft Blog

Digital Privacy: A Curmudgeon's Guide

Do you feel it's a losing battle trying to keep your information private? If you do, you're smart. It's impossible to live in our modern society without people knowing more about you than you'd like.

* Your doctor wants you to hand over your families' health history and you social security number.

* The supermarket wants to track how often you buy frozen pizza.

* The government now wants your garbageman to report any suspicious behavior going on in your basement.

What's the solution? Get grumpy. When people ask for information, say no. If they insist, ask for their manager. Ask why they need the information. Does this require some backbone? Yes it does. Just reach around with your arm. You'll find you still have one.

David Holtzman, a privacy curmudgeon, as he puts it, says people respond in different ways to privacy concerns. His categories include the Curmudgeon, the Ignorer, the Avoider, the Deceiver and the Aggressor:

"Ignorers think that there is no problem; Avoiders go out of their way to not be in a situation where they have to give information; Deceivers deliberately give false information whenever possible; and Aggressors get indignant and talk about lawsuits or write nasty letters."

Curmudgeons don't lie or avoid privacy issues. They meet them head on. Here are his six guidelines for becoming a privacy grump. Some are extreme. Don't feel bad if you don't follow all of them. I don't. Just realize that you are exchanging convenience for information:

* Just Say No - If the information requested doesn't have anything to do with product or service you're buying, just say no.

* Pay Up Front - When requesting medical services.

* Ask Why - If they answer, "the computer system requires the information", ask again.

* Pay Cash - Cash transactions can't be tracked.

* Don't Use Wireless Devices - Cell phones and other devices can track and record your whereabouts.

* Don't Use "Convenience Cards" - They are designed to track and analyze your purchasing habits.

A hacker conference held in New York July 12-14 is making AT&T pretty worried. In the past, conference-goers have called AT&T during their presentation and using social engineering hacking tecniques to get passwords and other information in order to break into computer systems. They record the conversations and later sell the videotapes at their conference. Capitalism at its best!

What is social engineering you ask? It's simply asking the right person for the information you want, posing as someone who should have access to it. For example, suppose the Director of Security from your bank called and told you there had been some unauthorized activity at the bank and he needed to confirm your account information. Would you give it to him? A lot of people would, and that's what makes a hacker's life much easier.

You're on this web site trying to learn how to protect your identity. One trick we suggest is to say, "put me on your do not call list" when telemarketers call during dinner. Federal law requires telemarketers to keep track of people who don't want to be called. Now, scammers and thieves are taking advantage of what you've learned.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning consumers that identity thieves, masquerading as federal employees, are calling people and asking them to confirm that they've requested to be put on a "do not call list." In order to make sure they have the "right person", they are asking the victims to provide social security, bank account, or credit card numbers.

Here's where common sense comes into play. The FTC does not have the time or the money to call every person in the United States asking if they want to be put on a "do not call list." Plus, the telemarketing companies would probably sue the government if they tried it.

The bottom line for avoiding scams: If it sounds fishy, it probably is fishy. Just hang up.

If you're a college student you've got on more reason to stress out. It appears that the Russian mafia may have planted keystroke tracking software on computers at Arizona State University and four other universities in Florida, Arizona, Texas and California. This software records every key that is pressed on a computer and then makes the information available to a remote hacker.

The great thing about keystoke tracking software is that it takes all the guesswork out of figuring out a victim's PINs, account numbers, and credit card numbers. No dumpster diving is necessary. The program records everything you type before it's encrypted and sent over the internet. So when a student uses a university computer in place to order a CD from Amazon.com or log into their bank account to check their balance, their credit card, bank account number, and PIN are sent to the hacker.

The Secret Service is investigating...