Nathan Merrells, Sr. Privacy Specialist of the City of Seattle, is our guest blogger today. He is part of the “small but mighty” privacy program within the City’s Information Technology department. The privacy team works diligently behind the scenes to ensure that the City’s Privacy Principles guide the actions that the City takes when collecting and using personal information. There are many causes for concern regarding online privacy —but dealing with the City shouldn’t be one of them.
January 21 – 27th was Data Privacy Week around the world. It’s a week to learn more about the importance of your personal information and the best ways to protect it online. The City of Seattle’s Data Privacy team celebrated the week by helping raise awareness around the value of your personal data, and providing useful tips to help reduce the likelihood that you fall prey to a bad actor.
The Value of your Personal Data
Our personal data is valuable. When we interact online, make purchases, or simply log on to our devices, we must often evaluate how best to protect ourselves—and the information we provide.
Use password management software. Do not write down or share passwords with anyone. Use unique passwords for your online accounts—the more complex, the better. In crafting a password, make it make sense—to you. Think of it as modern-day poetry, but in uppercase and lowercase letters with a few well-placed, discerning symbols to confuse your opponents and make you smile as you enter your award-winning password haiku with ease and rapidity. Remembering your password can be challenging; using a password manager can help! Explore different options until you find one that is right for you.
Follow the “front page” rule. Early in this author’s career, a mentor said, “Don’t write anything in an email that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the Washington Post.” The same should apply to social media. You can use privacy settings all day long to control who initially sees your posts, but even the strongest privacy settings won’t prevent someone from reposting what you shared.
Slow the roll on your debit card. In the event of fraudulent purchases, debit cards offer less legal protection than credit cards. A lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised debit card can result in your bank account being wiped without the use of your PIN number. Use a credit card instead and keep that debit card tucked away for backup only. If you must use it, sign up for text alerts from the bank requesting a personal approval response, should the system sense atypical purchasing behavior.
Consider bookmarking the City’s Tech Talk blog link, and watch for future City initiatives, information, and tips designed to raise awareness around the importance of data protection.
Check out the following library resources on data privacy:
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- Data Cartels: the Companies that Control and Monopolize Our Information by Sarah Lamdan (2023)
- The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity and Love in the Digital Age by Danielle Keats Citron (2022)
- Improving Federal Collaboration to Protect Our K-12 Schools from Cyberattacks (2023)
- The Privacy Mission: Achieving Ethical Data for Our Lives Online by Annie Machon (2023)
- Seek and Hide: the Tangled History of the Right of Privacy by Amy Gajda (2022)
- Why Privacy Matters by Neil Richards (2022)
- Your Face Belongs to Us: a Secretive Startup’s Quest to End Privacy as We Know It by Kashmir Hill (2023)
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Data Privacy Week, January 21 – 27, 2024, is an international effort which aims to educate, inspire dialogue, and empower individuals, families, consumers, companies, and governments to take action, respect privacy, safeguard data, and enable trust. The recognition offers opportunities for collaboration among governments, industry, academia, nonprofits, privacy professionals, educators, and the public. It serves as a reminder to all organizations that privacy is good for business.
For more information about the City’s privacy principles, visit https://www.seattle.gov/tech/data-privacy. You can learn more about Data Privacy and protecting your privacy online at the National Cybersecurity Alliance website.
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