[HemiPower]

How safe is your personal information like phone numbers, address's, Social Security numbers ETC with Social Security?

Is this something these people search companies on the internet have access to?

This topic might be in the wrong area but I posted it here because chuck & con give the best replies!

[Fr_Chuck]

They do not give direct access to anyone, but they do have 1000' of government employees, and who knows what they really do. Look at what happened with the VA this year, some employee talking 100's of thousands of names home on a lap top.

But then really no computer system is 100 percent and there is a much higher risk at your bank, or at your doctors office or at the used car lot where you bought a used car and had to supply all that sort of data.

Or your job site where they have even more than that data. And much less secure normally.

BTU for most people, things like phone numbers even unlisted are nomally accessible if you pay for it, if you have electric bill, water bills, and if you own property, all of that can be accessed by those that know. If you have gotten a loan for your home, that mortgage is filed at the court house and public knowledge.

[excon]

Hello hemi:

The Padre is right on. I can add a thing.

excon

[shygrneyzs]

I don't see your personal information as being safe with Social Security. But then I do not see your personal information safe from anyone, anymore. Most of us would not think of violating someone's privacy but it only takes one person to get into SS's system. In fact, their own employees can do enough damage. That happened to my youngest son and it took almost two years to get it all straightened out. Social Security clearly is an agency that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

[excon]

Hello again, hemi:

Well, I found something to add, for what it's worth.

It has been established to my satisfaction, that NONE of your/my data is safe in cyber space, and I don't care who say's otherwise. Given the above, the onus is on YOU/ME to protect our data - NOT the website we're doing business with.

Therefore, you must be vigilant. I live a Spartan lifestyle in response. I don't suggest that you go to the extremes that I have. I can, however, sleep well at night.

The first thing I do is keep my computer religiously clean. I have anti everything software and I run it daily. I have anonymous browsing capabilities. As an indication as to how well I do, I get maybe ONE spam email a day.

Next. I pay cash for most things. My mail goes to a PO box. I write maybe 5 checks a month. I don't have credit cards. I don't have a mortgage. I don't have a car loan. I don't sign up for things on the internet.

Even though I do those things, I am still vulnerable, and I don't like it. But, I'm much better off than most...

excon

[HemiPower]

Thanks, Everyone.

excon, what do you use for anonymous browsing and what kind of anti everything software do you recommend?

I have Spysweeper and a free cleaner called crapcleaner but no anonymous browsing.

Which programs do you recommend?

Thanks

[ScottGem]

I have been using cyberspace for more than 20 years. I've been using computer banking for most of that time, first with a direct dial up then over the WEB. I regulalry shop online.

In all that time I have had one possible instance of identity theft. I had a dept store credit card that I didn't recall applying for, but may have. I never got any statements for it and the amount showed up on my credit report as delinquent. I asked for documentation and they apparently decided to drop it and the entry was removed from my credit reports.

This is not to say that identity theft doesn't occur or that its not a serious problem. I shred most of my mail, monitor my credit reports, carefully check my credit and bank statements.

But, I don't believe its something to be paranoid about. One needs to be prudent about giving out their info and monitoting they credit reports. Most identity theft occurs through phishing or the theft of paper documents, not the theft of online info. In fact, in most of the cases of lost or stolen personal info, there have been few actual cases of identity theft resulting.

So my advice is not to be worried about someone stealing info from the SSA, your bank, your online transactions or the like. But to be prudent about monitoring your accounts and public records.

[excon]

Hello again, Hemi:

I use Spyware Blaster that stops spyware from even getting onto your computer in the first place. I use avg free spyware to nab anything that gets through. I use a clean up utility called Ace Utilities that gets rid of cookies, junk files, and cleans up (and I mean REALLY REALLY cleans), my deleted files so that once I delete them, they can't be read by anyone, even the FBI. I use Avg free anti virus. I use zone alarm as a firewall. Zone Alarm are also the people who sell the Anonymizer. That's where you can browse completely hidden (and I like that). I use free secondary email accounts.

Primarily, I act defensively in ALL my internet activities. I don't know how secure I am. I still have concerns.

excon

[HemiPower]

Thanks, Everyone

What free email accounts are the safest, I mean that won't just hand over your email's to anyone freely without a warrant?

Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Others?

[ScottGem]

Thanks, Everyone

What free email accounts are the safest, I mean that won't just hand over your email's to anyone freely without a warrant?

Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Others?

I don't know any e-mail services that hand over info without a court order. There was a case recently where the parents of a soldier who died in Iraq wanted to get access to his Yahoo account and Yahoo refused since he had no authorization.

I wonder where you get the idea that any would just hand over info?

[froggy7]

Thanks, Everyone

What free email accounts are the safest, I mean that won't just hand over your email's to anyone freely without a warrant?

Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Others?

E-mail is neither safe nor secure. Everything you send by e-mail goes through several other computers on its way to its destination, any and all of which can make copies of it and store it. My basic advice is never send anything in e-mail that you wouldn't be willing to write on a postcard and send through regular mail. Sure, the likelihood that anyone actually cares about reading your email as it zips through cyberspace is small. But it's there.