How much information do we unwittingly share publicly about ourselves on social media? How much personal data can be assembled about us through a quick search on Google? More importantly, what use is being made of all this by hackers, stalkers and identity thieves? Our infographic shows just how much private data can be made publicly available, and it urges you to think before you tweet, pause before you post and to always share circumspectly.
It’s a well-known anthropological story: a tribe of remote people who fear the camera may take away a piece of their soul. In today’s internet culture these fears that technology can steal our identity have actually come true.
We freely leave snippets of information about ourselves in social media profiles. We publicly share pieces of private data on other online sites. Just how much information this may amount to is revealed below: it amounts to a complete identity just waiting to be reassembled.
You may be surprised to learn how easy it is to gather enough of your personal data to hack into your email and online shopping accounts or to use your identity without your consent or knowledge. Somewhere in the world, thanks to your data trail, someone may be filing false worker’s compensation claims, stealing your benefits, applying for fake passports or accessing your bank account.
It couldn’t happen to you? The odds are increasingly likely. Identity theft is now the most common consumer complaint in the United States. There are more than 10 million cases of it annually, and it’s growing at 20% each year. In fact, in the time it takes to say ‘identify theft is increasing’ there will have been a new case of it on record.
Where is this information, how is it collated and how can you protect yourself? You can start finding out and protecting yourself now.
Infographic provided by whoishostingthis
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