"Computer Security and Safety, Ethics, and Privacy"

How to Safeguard Personal Information 

1. Fill in only necessary information on rebate, warranty, and registration forms.
2. Do not preprint your telephone number or Social Security number on personal checks. 
3. Have an unlisted or unpublished telephone number.
4. If Caller ID is available in your area, find out how to block your number from displaying on the receiver's system.
5. Do not write your telephone number on charge or credit receipts.
6. Purchase goods with cash, rather than credit or checks.
7. Avoid shopping club and buyer cards.
8. If merchants ask personal questions, find out why they want to know before releasing the information.
9. Inform merchants that you do not want them to distribute your personal information.
10. Request, in writing, to be removed from mailing lists.
11. Obtain your credit report once a year from each of the major credit reporting agencies and correct any errors.
12. Request a free copy of your medical records once a year from the Medical Information Bureau.
13. Limit the amount of information you provide to Web Sites.  Fill in only required information.
14. Install a cookie manager to filter cookies.
15. Clear your history file when you are finished browsing.
16. Set up a free e-mail account.  Use this e-mail  address for merchant forms.
17. Turn off file and printer sharing on your Internet connection.
18. Install a personal firewall.
19. Sign-up for e-mail filtering through your Internet access provider or use an anti-spam program such as Brightmail.
20. Do not reply to spam for any reason.
21. Surf the Web anonymously with a program such as Freedom WebSecure or through an anonymous Web site such as Anonymizer.com.