Privacy has been an issue over the millennia and its role in our daily lives continues to be an important discussion in our personal as well as professional worlds. This month I offer you the top 10 Privacy Myths so you can find out for yourself, “What’s privacy got to do with me?” Actually, it has quite a bit to do with you both personally and professionally.

The Top 10 Privacy Myths are:

10. I am sure corporate is taking care of this for us. Don’t be so sure...if there is no privacy policy stated in the employee manual, then there probably isn’t one. You need to ask to find out how your personally identifiable information, like your social security and driver’s license numbers, are being protected.

9. There is no Return on Investment on privacy protection. If a company does not have a privacy policy and terms of use statement on their website as prescribed by law, I am not inclined to give them my business. More and more, the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice are surfing the web to find violators of these laws. Additionally, many top-notch businesses use their superior privacy and information security policies as effective branding and marketing tools.

8. The company I’m doing business with knows what it is doing. They may or may not. The only way to know for sure is to read their privacy policy. If it is not evident, ask to see it. Also, I am leery of websites that have no contact information beyond an email address. If given a choice, I will do business with someone who offers complete information.

7. I don't collect any information from people. If, in the normal flow of your business, you add an email address to your contacts then you are collecting information – and you need to protect it.

6. If they are asking for my Social Security Number (SSN), they need it. Wrong. SSNs are not designed to be personal identification. Don’t give your number to anyone unless they are mandated to use it. If your SSN is requested on a form just enter: Not Applicable or N/A. If they really need it they can ask you for it directly and you can ask them why they need your SSN.

5. I have to give out information to anyone who asks for it. No, you don’t! For example, if you go to buy new tires and they ask for any personal information like your email address, you are not obligated to give it to them. When you volunteer personal information like that you get added to their database and the next thing you know it’s sold and you are getting lots of spam.

4. All websites that take credit cards adequately protect my financial information. Not necessarily, even though they are directed to by law. I am leery of websites which process credit card transactions and do not display a secure website icon or do not provide contact information beyond an email address. You should think twice before doing business with a site like this.

3. One easy to remember password is good for all of the websites I use. Passwords tend to be pretty predictable for most people. I strongly recommend having unique passwords for your social networking websites that are not at all similar to your online business ones. That way, if someone finds out what your password is they cannot use it across other websites that you use. It’s also a good idea to change your passwords every year or so.

2. Privacy is a right. In ancient cultures, the ability to run off from the tribe, to hide out in a cave and not participate was considered ‘privacy’. You may be surprised to know that the U.S. Constitution does not provide any explicit right to privacy. As we moved into the Industrial Age, a new concept was raised in an 1890 Harvard Law Review article written by Louis D. Brandeis, who served on the U. S. Supreme Court from 1916-1939, and his Boston law partner Samuel D. Warren. The article, which was apparently a response to newspaper reports published regarding the behavior of Warren’s wife in social settings, defined privacy as ‘the right to be left alone’. Now it is has become the right to protect our personal information.

And the #1 Privacy Myth is (drum roll please) I’ve got nothing to hide. You may have no criminal activities in your past, but you do have a trail of private personal and financial information you want to shield in order to protect yourself from the horrors of identity theft.

The Privacy Guru® says, “As always, stay aware and alert!”

Darity Wesley is CEO and Legal Counsel for Privacy Solutions, Inc. a San Diego based consulting firm. Her team of Privacy Gurus® work with you to create policies and procedures to establish the expectation of privacy for your members, clients, customers, prospects, affiliates, associates, employees and vendors. You can reach her at (619) 670-9462 or Darity@privacygurus.com, Visit our website at www.privacygurus.com

Please feel free to email us with any questions or issues you would like to see addressed in our newsletter. We would appreciate hearing from you and addressing any issue that is on your mind. Email us at info@privacygurus.com