Invasion of Privacy: How to Protect Yourself in the Digital Age - Hardcover

Right now, whether you realize it or not, you are exposed and vulnerable. Why? It’s quite simple: privacy is ending.

The intimate details of your life—your home address and phone number, Social Security number, bank accounts, credit history, shopping habits, work history, medical records, travel habits—are readily available to anyone who might be interested in them. And you may be shocked to learn just how many groups are clamoring for your information: corporations, criminals, private investigators, government agencies, and more. Although we’ve embraced the Internet and other technological innovations that have brought convenience to our everyday lives, these technologies have made us more vulnerable than ever.

In Invasion of Privacy, best-selling author and consumer advocate Michael S. Hyatt exposes the dangers to your security and how you can protect yourself. Among the many risks:

-Manipulation by marketers: banks regularly sell detailed account information to telemarketers, and even medical records are sold to the highest bidder
-Credit card fraud: a problem that has only grown worse with the anonymous purchasing afforded by the Internet
-Identity theft: using just your Social Security number, criminals can steal your identity to rack up debt, write bad checks, and commit other crimes—all in your name
-Stalking: thanks to the Internet, stalkers have new windows to break into your life
-Frozen assets: the federal government monitors your every transaction and can even freeze your assets to investigate what it deems “suspicious activity”
-Frivolous lawsuits: the end of privacy means that nearly anyone with a little know-how can get a list of your assets to decide if you are worth suing
-Employment insecurity: employers regularly monitor employees in the workplace, and many now assess prospective employees by getting detailed background information on them—often without the applicants’ knowledge
-Government surveillance: the government now uses high-tech systems to monitor virtually every transmission of any kind, including phone calls, e-mails, Internet downloads, and faxes

Fortunately, Hyatt offers specific, real-world countermeasures that will help you end the relentless incursions on your private life. His privacy self-assessment will help you determine where you are now (most people don’t realize how vulnerable they truly are). And his practical strategies and tips will show you how to achieve privacy protection to match your goals and resources.

Are you being watched?
You may not realize it, but your privacy is under attack. Detailed information about you is available to just about anyone who wants it—corporations, fund-raisers, criminals, government agents, and more. Most people today think of privacy as simply an Internet issue (that is, if they think about privacy at all), but as Michael S. Hyatt shows in Invasion of Privacy, you are vulnerable even if you don’t use a computer. Consider these true stories:

-When Michelle returned home from a Mexican vacation, she was detained by U.S. Customs officials; the DEA had put out a notice for her arrest on drug-related charges. It didn’t matter that Michelle was completely innocent. A woman had stolen her personal information and assumed her identity; the thief gave Michelle’s name when she was arrested for trafficking three thousand pounds of marijuana.
-Ray was always careful to protect his financial privacy, but it wasn’t enough. Someone got his Social Security number and used it to rack up more than $100,000 in debt in his name, buying two cars and even securing a personal loan.
-Norma was shocked when the insurance company notified her that it was raising her rates. The company attributed the increase to her recent conviction for drunk driving. But Norma doesn’t drink. Another woman had stolen her identity and been committing crimes in her name.
-Twenty-year-old Amy was fatally shot by a stalker outside her place of work. How was the stalker able to track her? Simple: he paid a small fee to an online private investigative service to get all the information he needed.

It’s up to you to protect your privacy and your family from unwelcome intruders. Michael Hyatt shows you how.

Invasion of Privacy: How to Protect Yourself in the Digital Age

-How to set up your computer and your Internet connection for the utmost privacy and security
-Ten things to do to protect yourself against credit card fraud
-Why you should never volunteer your Social Security number—and how to avoid giving it out to those who ask for it
-How to know if your employer is monitoring you at work
-How to keep from being overwhelmed with junk mail and e-mail “spam”
-Six documents you should never carry in your wallet
-Why you shouldn’t use supermarket discount cards
-The first line of defense, and how to work your way up to more sophisticated privacy protections
-How to keep your financial and medical records private
-“Privacy Self-Assessment”: Find out how vulnerable you are