Security at Home - Menu

1. Canvassing
2. Telemarketing
3. Computer/E-commerce
4. Loan application
5. CD Club and other memberships
6. Magazine solicitations
7. Product warranty cards
8. Life insurance application
9. Donation to a charity
10. Auto and House Insurance Renewal

Computer/E-commerce

You are sitting at your desk by yourself, surfing the Internet with the drapes closed and the door shut. Seems like a pretty private setup, right? Wrong! You are on the Internet, and the Internet is both a private and public place. It is a private place if - and only if - the data you are sending and receiving is encrypted for security, and you take sensible privacy measures. Otherwise, you might just as well be sitting at a desk in the middle of a crowded mall during the holiday shopping season. Anyone can intercept your messages, track your movements, and in some cases even read files right off your computer.

Your Web surfing and e-mail activities leave a trail that can be followed and accessed by third parties. Your data shadow is stored on your Internet Service Provider. If it wanted to, your ISP could trace your movements over the 'Net. Your e-mail is also stored on your ISP's computers, and doesn't just disappear when you delete it on your machine.

Remember the song from the TV program Cheers - Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. Think of the Internet as a place where everybody wants to know your name.