With the digital world part of our everyday lives, it’s crucial that we become more aware of its dangers and how to protect ourselves while online. One of the most important things to be aware of while online (and offline) is keeping your PII secure. Let’s get further into what PII means and the ways in which we can protect ours.
PII – What Does It Stand For?
It’s a short acronym for a very important concept that has become very valuable today. PII stands for “personally identifiable information”. In short, PII signifies specific information relating to you that is used to identify you.
But it’s so much more than that. You might be able to quickly think of a few things that are your personally identifiable information. However, there are many others that you probably haven’t thought of – information that relates to an identified or identifiable person, like yourself.
PII can take two forms – direct and indirect. As we said, you could probably rattle off a few types of information that would constitute your PII, and these would likely fall under the “direct” category of PII. For example, your Social Security number is a classic form of direct PII as it states your identity in a clear manner. Other forms of direct PII can be obvious, like a photo of your face that’s used to unlock your phone, perhaps. Remember, though, that your medical information is also direct PII, and so is your phone number, whether mobile or landline. Of course, financial information would fall under direct PII, too. This gives you an idea of just how important it is to keep these details safe.
What about indirect PII? You’ve got to keep these safe, too, as they are also linked to your identity. Otherwise known as indirect identification, indirect PII includes aspects often related to your demographic information, like your birth date, gender, race, and so on. It’s essential to note that this information is often linked to your online accounts and is accessible by other online users. We also tend to include direct PII when creating accounts on these platforms. While we can choose to keep direct PII private, it doesn’t always remain that way. Remember, data leaks are more common than we think.
Identity Theft and PII
With all the ransomware attacks, phishing and malware attacks, and data breaches that have been rising in the last few years, they’re often linked to a scary phenomenon – identity theft or identity fraud. If your PII were to fall into the wrong hands, identity thieves can steal your identity for their own personal gain. For the most part, your PII and identity get sold on the dark web, which makes this a growing (and obviously illegal) business globally.
Still, this doesn’t stop identity thieves from engaging in the activity, and anyone can become a victim of identity theft. By gaining access to some of your indirect PII, identity thieves use a variety of tactics to gain access to direct PII to be able to piece together essential parts of your identity so that this information can be used by others. We’ve mentioned ransomware and phishing, but other social engineering tactics and hacking techniques are always ways in which criminals gain access to our data.
Here’s What You Can Do to Protect Your PII
Keep Your Files Safe
To protect your PII, you need to keep both digital and physical files safe. Remember, we live with a foot in two worlds now – the physical and the digital. These two intersect, so if someone’s able to get a hold of your physical files and documents that contain your sensitive PII, they’ll likely be able to access crucial aspects of your digital identity too, and vice versa. Encrypt your digital files by investing in file protection software, and keep your physical documents under lock and key (whether literally or metaphorically). Also, use a paper shredder for important documents that you need to dispose of.
Browse the Web Securely
Sounds simple, but we often assume that most websites that we frequent are safe. This is definitely not the case. One thing that you can do, however, is look out for the acronym “HTTPS” while browsing. If a website begins with “HTTPS” instead of “HTTP”, it means that it’s secure. HTTP websites are generally not secure, so if you put in your PII on one of those, the potential of it falling into the wrong hands is far more likely.
Use a VPN
VPNs, or virtual private networks, are becoming increasingly popular these days, as digital safety is in general. Basically, what you need to know is that a VPN encrypts your internet connection. This helps you to keep your online activity private, whether you’re connected to a private or public network. Most VPNs also give you the option to browse as if you’re in another geographic location. This gives you the added perk of accessing geographically restricted content.
Beware of Public WiFi Networks
Free public WiFi is a blessing, it really is. However, when a network is open and doesn’t have any encryption, cybercriminals are often waiting to lure you in, as they can easily connect to the same network. Public networks can also be duplicated, duping you into connecting on what you think is your local café’s network, when in fact, you’re logging onto a fake network made to look like the original one.
If you have to use a public WiFi network, use a VPN and don’t do anything online that involves your PII. This includes online shopping and banking (keep those credit card details safe).
Look Out for Phishing Scams
Understand what phishing scams are and keep ahead of phishing trends, too. This way, you’ll know what to look out for and what kind of emails not to open. Remember, phishing is often based on trust, so resist the urge to hand over your PII to anyone on social media, via email, or on the phone – unless you’ve checked and are completely sure that these people can be trusted. One way to find this out is to use a people search website. Nuwber, for instance, offers comprehensive reports of US citizens. On Nuwber, you can look up any person by searching their full name, phone number, or address, and the search engine will give you access to the details about this individual: their job, social media accounts, age, address, and much more.