1: Which Online Activities Reveal My Personal Information? When you are online, you provide information to others at almost every step of the way. Often this information is like a puzzle that needs to be connected before your picture is revealed. Information you provide to one person or company may not make sense unless it is combined with information you provide to another person or company. Signing up for Internet service If you use a computer to access the Internet and pay for the service yourself, you signed up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Your ISP provides the mechanism for connecting to the Internet. Each computer connected to the Internet, including yours, has a unique address, known as an IP address (Internet Protocol address). It takes the form of four sets of numbers separated by dots, for example: 123.45.67.890. It’s that number that actually allows you to send and receive information over the Internet. Depending upon your type of service, your IP address may be "dynamic", that is, one that changes periodically, or "static", one that is permanently assigned to you for as long as you maintain your service. Your IP address by itself doesn’t provide personally identifiable information. However, because your ISP knows your IP address, it is a possible weak link when it comes to protecting your privacy. ISPs have widely varying policies for how long they store IP addresses. Unfortunately, many ISPs do not disclose their data retention policies. This can make it difficult to shop for a “privacy-friendly” ISP.
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 03:56:12 +0000
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