Advice for Consumers: Safeguarding your Data

Your mobile devices – including smartphones, laptops and wearables – are always in reach wherever you go, and they share substantial information about you and your habits. Follow these basic privacy tips to help you better manage your personal information.

Tips to Help Protect your Privacy

• Personal info is like money: Value it. Protect it. Information about you, such as your purchase history or location, has value – just like money. Be thoughtful about who gets that information and how it’s collected through apps and websites. You should delete unused apps, keep others current and review app permissions.

• Share with care. Think before posting about yourself and others online. Consider what it reveals, who might see it and how it could be perceived now and in the future.

• Own your online presence. Set the privacy and security settings on websites and apps to your comfort level for information sharing. Each device, application or browser you use will have different features to limit how and with whom you share information.

• Think before you act. Information about you, such as the games you like to play, your contacts list, where you shop and your geographic location, has tremendous value. Be thoughtful about who gets that information and understand how it’s collected through websites and apps.