Sharing Personal Information Online

Here are some categories of information you may want to consider as you determine what you are comfortable sharing or having others share about you publicly. This list does not presume to be a definitive inventory of identifying information. It is intended only to get you thinking about what you share and where you share it.

• Your name and the names of family members and friends (mother’s maiden name is often a password reminder or reset verification)
• Ages and genders of you, your parents, your children, or grandchildren.
• E-mail addresses, user IDs, nicknames, and domain names should not include information such as your name, age, birth year, birth date, social security number, city, state, hobbies, emotional state, zodiac sign, or other information someone might easily find out or guess.
• Address, including home, work, or any other place you will predictably be found such as at school, attending social clubs, visiting health clubs, and so on. If city and state information can be combined with a piece of secondary information such as a local sports team name, local newspaper article about you (including birth, wedding, graduation, or death announcements) you may be very findable.
• Locations of others close to you, including parents, children, and friends.
• Phone numbers. This includes home, mobile phone, work number, or friend’s numbers. Keep in mind that with caller ID, your number is exposed when YOU call someone as well. It is no longer enough to tell children not to give their phone number out. They also shouldn’t call or text message with people they don’t know.
• Passwords. Choose strong passwords and don’t use the same password for all of your online activities; if that password is ever compromised, everything is compromised.
• Personal numbers. Bank accounts, credit cards, debit cards, PIN’s, phone calling card, SSN, passport, driver’s license number, birth date, wedding date, insurance policy numbers, loan numbers, VIN numbers, license plate, locker combinations, student ID, and more can help to identify you or put you at risk.
• Photos that make you or other family members or friends identifiable, or show locations such as your home, school, or place of employment.
• Information about others. Don’t place information about others online without first obtaining their express permission and ask your friends and family to do the same for you.

The Internet provides rich opportunities for making new friends, finding romance, and sharing interests with others. This online socializing, just like it’s offline counterpart, can present some danger. When you first meet somebody offline you have visual clues as to their age, gender, and general demeanor. Online, you have to find new ways to assess social contacts, and you have to be cautious about how much you expose about yourself.