How Can I Protect My Privacy?

[Dreamweaver1]

I am tired of seeing websites post my private information on the internet and selling my information to others. I want websites and companies and the government to respect my privacy, and just because something is public record, doesn't mean my address, DOB and phone number should be easily found online. Not to mention a map to my house and photo of where I live with my children! How can I protect my privacy and keep my information private and off the internet? Thanks for any info.

[Daniel Bradley]

Companies don't post this information...you shouldn't have posted it on facebook or a similar site. No one goes around making sure everyone is added to the internet...

[Trey]

in todays world this may not be possible. even if you never used the internet a day in your life your information would end up there because the companies you interact with do use the internet. some disgruntled employee who is quitting will post all your personal info on a website like wikileaks and thats that.
only real way to protect your privact is to become self sufficient and live out in the country.

[SuperASpy]

Hello. Remember to be cautious when putting any of your personal information online. Another way to make sure that spyware or malware (which captures information about your online presence) is to install an anti-spyware software.

You can download SuperAntiSpyware for free at http://www.superantispyware.com

Hope this helps.
Thanks!

[Angus Cooney]

opt out

The one that feed the rest is
Intelius.com

opt out of that

https://www.intelius.com/optout.php

and you will knock 95% of background info.

http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comme...und_check/

[DunbarPappy®ϟϟ]

Yahoo could have an entire section just for this, so briefly:
Never, and I mean never, post something in ANY social Network site you wouldn't want blabbed on National news.
Protect Your Online Privacy (Without Reading All the Fine Print); https://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/a...k=rel_news

See this site: https://www.eff.org/action for some measures you can do. (Maybe even join?)

More sites:
Erase Yourself From the Web; https://www.pcworld.com/article/223682/e...e_web.html

https://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/a...rates.html
June, 2012

Add-on for Firefox that compiles several functions in order to disambiguate you from many social 'services', like:
Digg, Facebook, Google +, Twitter, Yahoo.
Homepage: http://disconnect.me/
Also provides notices about what's being blocked

As you can see, this is a Herculean task, and it only gets worse.
The proliferation of 3rd party tracking devices (principally 'tracking cookies') that browsers fetch automatically brings along unwanted and unknown consequences.
A study (UofTexas: http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/cs/pdf/0610/0610105v2.pdf ) was able to isolate "micro-data" inclusions (representing the statistical rarity of the identifier for any given user) and by correlating that with other statistical data, determine who these people are exactly.
These databases are cumulative (and widely dispersed), and because of their unregulated nature, can and are leveraged for other purposes than the innocuous gruel we are served up by the Advertising ghouls (such as "it's for your own good", or "We take your privacy seriously".)
Once information about yourself is released (voluntarily, or by subterfuge) there can be no assurance that it will be safeguarded, or that will remain strictly in the realm of "harmless" ad delivery.

Good luck.