During a live broadcast on Facebook on Jan. 25, David Sherry, the chief information security officer at Princeton University, offered advice on how people can protect their personal privacy. This event was offered by Princeton’s Information Security Office (ISO) in celebration of International Data Privacy Day.
Sherry gave tips on protecting the increasing amounts of data collected on individuals through social media, mobile phones, online retailers, etc.
Sherry recommended that people check their privacy settings on social media and online shopping sites, making sure users are comfortable with the amount of information stored. For example, Sherry said even though he regularly shops online, he never stores his credit card information on shopping sites. He has to re-enter his credit card information every time he makes a purchase.
“You just have to remember that as you give those folks data —whether it’s items you’ve looked at, items you’ve purchased, or mailing addresses, credit cards — you are putting that private information into the hands of someone else,” Sherry said.
Sherry was interviewed by Tara Schaufler, senior information security training and outreach specialist in the Information Security Office, which is part of the Office of Information Technology.
Sherry also gave advice about posting to social media while traveling, using public Wifi networks, shredding documents and best practices for creating and managing passwords.
To learn more about the importance of privacy and protecting personal information, visit the ISO’s website and follow the ISO on Facebook.
