Identity Theft Protection

Identity theft is fast becoming the new disease of our culture, partly to the fast development of the internet, almost faster than the rule of law can keep up with, and also due to the lack of appropriate counter measures used by individuals to safeguard their personal data.

Firstly all of us must take appropriate action toward the security of our own data, it is our data, so it is our responsibility; this can be done simply by:

Monitoring our internet activity, how and what we use the internet for, as some sites that may seem innocent or even familiar are actually collecting data about you and your actions upon their site.

The type of browser you use is also a consideration, as some are more secure than others, and keeping them up to date, which is nearly always free, is also of the utmost importance to securing your personal data.

Who you give your data to is a prime concern, you may have the best software security in the world, but if you give you personal information away to the wrong people, they potentially could steal your identity. Always take a seconds thought before you willingly hand out any of your data over the internet, even your e-mail address can be used to find out your name and other information about you that could be used by another person.

Software identity theft protection

Presented here are a few of the freely available software packages that you can download and use to protect and prevent identity theft.

PeerBlock:

PeerBlock stops many known threat IP addresses (the location on the internet) from accessing your computer or personal network and stops many potential identity theft threats from taking information about you or your activities. The known threats and potential threats are updated on a daily basis by the community of PeerBlock users.

WOT (web of trust):

WOT identifies any potential phishing site that may look and feel exactly like the site you use often but is placed upon the internet in order to take user account details. WOT is updated by individual user experience of a site and appears next to any web link as a green (no threat), yellow (potential threat) or red (threat) icon, on both search site links and in the upper right corner of your web browser, identifying the site that you are currently using.

Anti-viral software:

By prohibiting what software is installed upon your personal system anti-viral software is a must have item, they are often available free with the ability to choose paid for upgrades. An anti-viral package will stop anything from harmful annoyances to identity theft threats such as a Trojan horse program.