Is Your Data Private?

Data Privacy Day is an international effort to empower individuals and encourage businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust. Almost everyone knows someone who has been hit by identity theft or had their credit or debit card used by strangers. Some experts argue that it is inevitable that an individual will 'get hacked' at least once in a lifetime. But you can take steps to make it less likely that someone will access and use your  data.

Start with your passwords. Don't be daunted by those long passwords the systems all want you to create. Use a sentence than is meaningful to you or linked in your mind to the account. "JiMf+3lr!" is just "Jessica is my favorite teller!"   "pfd$Rck16" is "pet food discounts rock" for the pet you got in 2016.

Want to review and maybe tighten up your privacy settings? Try this Stay Safe Online link.

It can seem overwhelming to keep track of all the things that can go wrong. But if you bank online, use a debit card, and have a smart phone, you need to take responsibility for your data.

Challenge yourself to check one privacy setting or change one password each week. Take notes and keep them in a secure place. It might be the best resolution of 2020.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph