Raise your hand if a lot of people have your contact information. The people closest to us can either help or harm our privacy- protection efforts. Our choices sure can generate some awkward conversations. We have to explain why we don't use our real identity on social media and ask others not to reveal it,... Continue Reading →
Dangerous Days
The Facebook post above illustrates how many law enforcement families feel right now. Current chaos in this country magnifies the danger they face every day to enforce the rule of law in America. It's critical that our personal information not be available to anyone who wants to make their point (whatever it is) in person... Continue Reading →
2020 PCS, Promotion, & Pandemic
What could go wrong, right? The world is locking its doors. We're scheduled to PCS this summer. Already, we've cancelled the plans we had with family & friends for a promotion ceremony and party. Heartbreaking! In the two years at this address (PO Box), we've managed to keep our location off search engine results! Our... Continue Reading →
2020: Take Back Your Data
I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore! Howard Beale, Network motion picture Start 2020 with a privacy goal. We can do simple things to improve and protect our privacy and security. Keeping the mindset that your data belongs to you and no one is entitled to your information is the... Continue Reading →
Track Your Address
The holidays are an excellent time to make a list of who has your mailing address. We're possibly due for a PCS in 2020, so I'll be contacting the companies who send us mail to change to our new PO Box. We can go for months without a catalog landing in our box, but you... Continue Reading →
Growing List of Data Breaches
Last night, I read about another breach or leak of personal data caused by a lack of security in storing/transferring our PII. These frequent stories stress me out and lead to redoubling my efforts to lock down our information (as much as I can). This morning, I decided to start a list of the major... Continue Reading →
Virtual Kidnapping Enabled By Data Brokers
Terrifying. As I read this article, I imagined my grandparents in that situation. That this is happening at all is reason enough to shut down data broker sites that include lists of relatives. We worked very hard to keep our names from being connected to our families, but it happened due to public information being... Continue Reading →
“Experience and Money,” The Hacker Said
Websites that register members, accept donations, and other ways that take personal information put our security at risk if they are hacked. The most current headline regarding these hacks involved the FBI Academy Association's websites. When this story was shared online, commenters mistakenly assumed the hack was an FBI website and that the hackers achieved... Continue Reading →
How To Ruin Your Facebook Privacy
Don't be naive about keeping your Facebook profile, posts, comments, likes, groups, etc... private by relying on your settings. You may think you have your account 'locked down' with your settings set to the most private possible. Follow the steps in this article first. I recommend you follow all those steps and recheck your... Continue Reading →
Call your bank!
Have you looked at your credit card receipts? Your legal name- the name on your account- is printed on most of them. Watch this YouTube video to see how this can have some creepy results. If you imagine the worst, it's not hard to realize that leaving those little slips of paper all over the... Continue Reading →
When people say I’m paraniod…
This recent article caught my attention. It's not the first of its kind and will not be the last as long as the radical ideology of ISIS threatens the western way of life. As military family members, we must do everything in our power to keep our names and PII out of their hands. Our... Continue Reading →
Pulling back the curtain
This week, C-SPAN was more exciting than anything the Kardashians were doing. Following months of activism by hundreds of military spouses, they finally had their day in court, or specifically, Congress. You can read about it here. If you have time, you can even go watch it here. It was EPIC! Military spouses confronted... Continue Reading →
Sharing what you know- the FRG
Mentorship among spouse groups is essential to the military's mission. Nothing is as strong as the connection among military families in sharing this lifestyle. There are some significant ways you can share what you're learning. You can help other families protect their privacy and safety online. Attend an FRG meeting and offer to share how... Continue Reading →
Locking Down Facebook*
*As much as possible Always assume that anything in your Facebook profile will be seen publicly. Keep this in mind when you upload photos, update your status, and post comments on other timelines. The developers at Facebook give us some ways to limit who can see some of our activities, though. Step-by-step method to make... Continue Reading →
Sometimes you have to put it all out there
When military spouses have had enough, drastic things happen. When it's time to step out with your story to protect your family, privacy takes a back seat. I applaud these families who walked out into the public arena to fight for their families' safety. I've spent the last 15 years trying to stay below the... Continue Reading →
PCS Planning
We never worried too much about having our physical address visible online before this duty station. The data brokers were usually one PCS behind. However, we've been here almost four years in this location and our address was all over the internet in search engines and people-finder websites. I checked some resources about how to... Continue Reading →
Is Your Unit Protecting You?
This may be hard to imagine, but your own organization may be endangering you and your family. Do they operate a public website? Google Hangout group? Facebook page? How about a Community page? What are the settings for them? Do they post photographs? Announce events? This week, I've been trying to register for three upcoming... Continue Reading →
The USPS and Mail Forwarding
So, we're moving. Again. You are, too, I bet. Did you know that when you fill out a mail forwarding request with the USPS they SELL your new information to advertisers? True story. What to do- what to do? I'm trying a new method to keep our new address from showing up online... I spent... Continue Reading →
Now Hide Me 