Online Privacy

[moomies]

What do you think about and how do you protect your online privacy?

Are you concerned at all about websites collecting your personal information like demographic info (e.g. when you sign up for something online, they ask you your age, gender, postal code, birthday, phone numbers etc), cookies and adwares that track which websites you frequent, sites that log your IP etc etc.

When you go on a site (e.g. to sign up for a service/news letters /join a forum etc etc) do you actually read the privacy statement explaining how the information they collect from you will be used?

I'm not paranoid or anything but this kinda stuff does freak me out a little. Like they (corporations and what not) will know who I am, which websites I've been to, know where I live from my IP etc.

How do you guys feel?

[A*O]

I only ever give the mandatory information and even then I often lie. Get yourself a few annonymous yahoo or hotmail email addresses for extra security.

[SVZ]

meh, i dont really care really. they can't do much with your real name. even your phone number. well they couldn't do anything more than a person who wanted to snoop on you anyways. credit cards, etc, on the other hand....i dunno i usually use someone else's (because i dont have one yet)

[muchlove]

It doesn't bother me much. Like SVZ said, they can't really do much with it. I only use a credit card on sites that I trust, but it's always a gamble, I guess.

I lie about my name and address on online forms all the time, though. I have an alias that I use all over the place, and she lives at 123 Fake St.

[A*O]

I've had my credit card 'hijacked' twice. The first time deffo happened via the internet when I ordered some Interflora flowers. I used the card at 10am and at 1pm the bank phoned to ask if I was in San Diego spending $7000 on internet domain names and other puter stuff. Cancelled card, re-do standing orders, hassle, etc. The bank covered the money once they knew it was fraudulent use. I told Interflora what happened and of course they flatly denied their puter system wasn't secure but it's the only possible explanation, especially as their accounts centre is in San Diego....

Second time we got a call from the bank asking if we'd bought $12000 worth of Alitalia air tickets in the last 2 days. Errrr no. We have NO idea how someone got hold of the Visa number but we had to go through the new number hassles again and the bank covered the money.

We weren't out of pocket either time, but it's a royal pain having to change your card details.