Data Privacy Day: My 12 Privacy Resolutions for 2015

In celebration of International Privacy Day, I’d thought I’d update my Privacy Resolutions for a new year. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Unsubscribe from all e-mails, newsletters, magazines, blogs, reddit, etc. that I don't read, never read anymore or never actively signed up for. I know my e-mail address is just going to be sold to other marketers or mailing lists anyway so I’ll start to cut down on the clutter.

2. Update and strengthen the passwords that I use for critical, financial and other data heavy websites.

3. Better yet: migrate all of my passwords to a password manager app like LastPass, DashLane or Password Box

4. Stop updating everyone on my location via smartphone apps. No one really cares and I’m probably just letting thieves know I am not home so they can rob me.

5. When putting mail in the mailbox for the Postman to pick up, I’ll never lift the flag anymore to indicate that there is mail in the box. The mailman will find it anyway. Leaving the flag up tells ID thieves that you have some mail that may contain some interesting personal data.

6. Pay all of my bills online. C'mon, it's 2015.

7. Stop using my debit card to make online or offline purchases, or buy gas; use a credit card only. Using a debit card gives a thief direct access to your checking account, making it difficult to prove fraud, and preventing you from taking advantage of consumer protection laws that most credit cards offer.

8. Do an exhaustive Google search on myself to see what information is out there so I can see what the blogosphere is saying about me, if anything.

9. Make sure the "Do not track" option is checked by default in my browser's setting.

10. Better integrate the concept of 'privacy by design' into my business and/or IT development processes; no more bolting it on once the process or application is complete and ready to be rolled out.

11. Better publicize the social media policy within the company so everyone knows what the rules are.

12. Finally realize that there is no such thing as 'free' on the internet. No free iPads or dinner coupons to Cheesecake factory, or trips to Disney World. Stop clicking on those offers or accepting the links on Facebook. And no, I guess I am not really the 1,000,000th visitor (!!!) to a site and have not really won anything. Pass it on.