Did you know that your personal information may be visible in the WHOIS database, a public directory of all domain names and registrants? The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires accredited domain name registrars to submit a listing to the WHOIS database each time a domain name is registered. If you do not elect private registration, this online WHOIS listing will include your personal contact information, such as your email address and phone number — available to the public through a simple domain search.
In an age of fast-growing technology and rampant social networks we have become so comfortable with sharing our every move and moment that we may have lulled ourselves into a false sense of security. How many of us know that actions as simple as simple as connecting to public WIFI at your local bar or coffee shop puts you and your data at risk? Bob Sullivan covers 5 traps you need to be aware of in his MSNBC column, The Red Tape Chronicles, which taught me a thing or three this morning! I stumbled across that post after a tweet from Kelly Collis @cityshopgirl caught my eye. Kelly was interviewed by Bob recently on her usage of Foursquare, an app that shares your real-time location when you choose to “check in” at a place or venue. Kelly, a girl after my own heart, is an avid Foursquare user and believes she uses it strategically for marketing her business and is careful with what and when she shares. But are we all? Sites like PleaseRobMe and ICanStalkYou – and the new Creepy – are showing users just how much they put out there, and just how easy it is to gather and analyze the habits and movements of individuals you choose to.
There are certain things we can control. We can choose to share, or not, on social networks. We can take more care when logging on to any available WIFI connection. And if you choose, you can protect your personal information by choosing Private Registration for your Network Solutions domains. Your privacy, your choice!
For more information on protecting your personal information, check out Network Solutions Private Registration: https://www.networksolutions.com/domain-name-registration/private.jsp
Image via Flickr by Brunna_Ferri
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