• It's called the World Wide Web for a reason. All of the information posted on the web should be considered public - because it is!

• Read the site terms and agreements before you sign up. Did you actually read the terms or did you just check the box at the bottom of the page? Know what you are agreeing to before clicking "ok."

• Create complex passwords that contain both numbers and letters. Make sure that your passwords are unrelated to any of the information that you post (ie: your birthday).

• Change your privacy settings to keep your identity safe. Most sites allow you to limit who can find you in a search, who can see your profile, and who can view your contact information. The default setting in most sites is to make ALL of your information available to EVERYONE. This means that not only do your friends have access to your information, but their friends, and their friends, friends, and friends of their friends and so on.

• When creating a profile in a cyber community, post only information that is already public. Post general information rather than specific. For example, if you're listing your birthday, list the month and day, but leave out the year you were born. If you're listing your address, simply state the city and state, leave out your residence hall or apartment number.

• Consider your family's privacy preferences as well as your own; they may not want their address and phone number posted online.

• Be aware of the image that your responses project to a future employer, a relative or administrator. Listing your job type as "waste of space" does not bode well for future interviews. When in doubt, a good rule of thumb is to only post information that you could show your grandmother.

Protect Your Identity

• Memorize your Social Security number and passwords.

• Do not record your passwords on papers you carry with you.

• Don't use your date of birth or other commonly known characteristics about you as your password.

• Shred pre-approved credit applications and other financial documents before discarding them.

• Never give personal or financial information over the phone or Internet unless you initiated the contact.

• Don't carry your Social Security card or birth certificate with you. Keep them in a safe place until you need them.

• Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately.

• Check your monthly credit card and bank statements for unusual activity.

• Use a firewall program on your computer, especially if you leave your computer connected to the Internet 24-hours a day.

• Do not download files sent to you by strangers or click on hyperlinks from people you do not know.

Safeguarding Your Social Security Number

• Be particularly vigilant about safeguarding your Social Security Number. Your employer and bank will likely need your SSN for wage and tax reporting purposes. Other businesses may ask you for your SSN to do a credit check, such as when you apply for a loan, rent an apartment, or sign up for utilities. Sometimes, however, they simply want your SSN for general record keeping. You do not have to give a business your SSN just because they ask for it.

• The University of Akron provides each student with a Student ID number. This number is printed on the back of your Zip Card and should be used for all official UA business instead of your Social Security number.

Email and IMs

• Students use email and IM as a vital means of communication. While email and IM are both effective and efficient means of communication, they are generally not secure methods of communication. As a result, not all information is appropriate for inclusion in an email or IM.

• Think of email and IM as a postcard sent through US Mail. Never include information within an email or IM that you wouldn't want others to read.

Interesting Articles

• Online Blogs
• Instant Messaging
• Social Security Numbers