Data Privacy Day, held on January 28th, is an international initiative that promotes privacy awareness and education across the globe. The annual event focuses on educating people about the importance of protecting the privacy of personal information and promotes individual control over private data.
Here at eBay, we understand that consumers deserve to have control over when and how their information is used or shared, and it’s our responsibility to respect those decisions. eBay’s Privacy Notice informs our community about the data we collect and allows choices to be made about how that data will be used.
We also provide education about steps you can take to protect your personal information on several of our community help pages such as the Protecting Your Account page.
Three Tips to Help Protect Your Privacy Online
Once you share or disclose any bit of information in cyberspace it is potentially public and will remain so forever. Your data privacy matters to us, so here are some safety tips to think about:
Read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policies before Sharing Your Information
Understand what you might be giving up before you click “Agree”. There are virtually no circumstances where a giveaway, free games, or free use of an online service or social media site is truly free.
Look out for These Red Flags within a Privacy Policy
It’s important to understand the agreements you’re making with any company you’re sharing your data with before you agree to their services. These notifications provide information about how they share and use your information; such as third party sharing of your private data, copyrights to your work, or use of your private data (including photos) for marketing purposes.
Use Caution on Social Media Sites
Social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are gold mines of personal information for cybercriminals trying to gain access to your financial accounts or other personal information, so it’s important to be aware of what you’re sharing and who you might be sharing it with.
- Be Cautious of Who You Friend. Many password-reset questions can be answered by someone scouring your Facebook page. Be especially cautious of what you post on open sites such as Twitter as they can be viewed by anyone.
- Don’t Post Birthdays, Your Address, or Any Personal Information. The more you share, the easier it is to materialize enough of your identity to do damage or fool you into believing a phishing email is legitimate.
- Never Post Your Work or Home Phone Number. Cybercriminals could call you and ask for passwords in a seemingly credible manner if they have the right information. It’s never OK to give out your password, but there are other questions they might ask to help them get what they want. When in doubt, go with your gut. If something seems off or you don't know the person, ask for their contact information and look into it. Ultimately, it’s better to be safe than polite.
Disclaimer: This article aims to provide helpful insight on protecting your privacy. This information is offered as a guide only and should not be treated as a full statement on the subject.