DATCP Says, Give Your Digital Life a Once Over for Privacy Concerns

Monday, January 30th, 2023 -- 12:01 PM

(Raymond Neupert, WRN) You should be thinking about what sort of information you're sharing online, and with the apps on your phone.

It's a good idea to give your digital life a once over. State consumer protection director Mike Domke says you should check to see who you're sharing your data with on social media, and with apps on your devices.

"This is something that we try to maintain a steady focus on and, and bring attention to because every single day, we're either exposed to vulnerabilities or potentially put ourselves out there unknowingly."

Domke says anything you share with a company or application is liable to be leaked, sooner or later. "What information do you really want that particular business or app to have? Do they need to be tracking you? Like, do they need to have facial recognition, I would say more often than not, they don't. And so you want to make sure you're consciously checking those and turning off what you don't need."

Domke says it's a good idea to think before giving random websites access to your personal information. "Now you're putting your information out there, and now it's being stored. So it's a potential vulnerability that you could avoid, if possible."

One good tip is to make a throwaway email account to use when you sign up for websites or loyalty programs, and to only use your main email account for things you need to keep safe.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.