We have updated our popular Top Ten Opt Outs page for consumers. All of the links are fresh, and we have updated the text where it had gotten stale. I am frequently asked which of the opt outs is the most important. Really, that will depend on what is important ...
FAQ: I am new to Facebook. What do I need to know about posting to someone else's Timeline? When you first join Facebook, you can discover many old friends, acquaintances and relatives you may have lost touch with and want to recontact. It can be exhilarating to find so many ...
It is important to use SSL, or encrypted connections when you use web-based email. Yahoo does not automatically set SSL or secure mail connections by default. You have to set it manually until January 2014. These tips walk you through how to set Yahoo Mail to use secure connections.
Facebook gives you the option to use use secure browsing when a secure connection is available. This is a security option that all Facebook users should use. It is a no-brainer to say yes to. Facebook has turned this option on by default, but the rollout for this option may not have reached your area. Also, there may be some country-level differences. It is worth taking a few steps to make sure turn this option is on. It is well worth it, and we highly recommend it for all users.
San Diego, CA -- The World Privacy Forum is very pleased to announce the publication of a major undertaking, the complete update and revision to our landmark Patient's Guide to HIPAA. The new guide reflects the changes in HIPAA that took effect September 23, 2013. The Patient's Guide to HIPAA is a landmark publication because it is the first and to our knowledge -- only complete guide written expressly for patients. It offers a roadmap through the thicket of dense health privacy laws and rules that many patients have questions about. The purpose of this guide is to help patients understand how to make health privacy laws work to protect their privacy. Longtime World Privacy Forum contributor Bob Gellman is primary author of the Guide, including the new version. Begin exploring the update at the HIPAA Guide Home: https://www.worldprivacyforum.org/2013/09/hipaaguidehome/ .
World Privacy Forum information and materials on medical privacy topics.
Consumers can learn about Medical Identity Theft, what how to avoid it, and what actions to take if you are a victim.
Opt-out and how-to -- The popular WPF Top Ten Opt Out List has been newly updated. We have added a new section to our list with step by step details on how to opt out of RapLeaf. We encourage consumers to view any of their profiles that exist at RapLeaf and to opt out of RapLeaf permanently. We have also updated the phone numbers and other information on the rest of our opt out list. To see more, visit our Opt Out List.
A credit freeze (sometimes called a security freeze) lets you stop the disclosure of your credit report by a credit bureau. Currently, the three credit bureaus are allowing all consumers nationwide to set a security freeze for a fee. Some states have specific security freeze laws; a list of states with security freeze laws may be found below. However, even if you live in a state without a security freeze law, you can still set a security freeze.
This guide to online job sites is a list of the top job searching sites online. This list gives information about the privacy practices at each site. Because resumes contain such detailed personal and professional information, it is well worth caring about how job search sites handle privacy issues. This guide is updated monthly, and we add new information to the guide monthly.
Job Search Privacy -- The World Privacy Forum's popular and long-standing Job Searcher's Guide has been completely updated. We have a site-by-site comparison of the privacy practices of online job search sites. This guide was originally posted in 2003, and has been updated regularly. This was a major update of this resource. The World Privacy Forum publishes extensive job search privacy resources in addition to the Guide, including a very popular guide to resume posting privacy.
Consumer resource -- We have updated the World Privacy Forum's state-by-state guide on how to place a credit, or security, freeze. Only a few states are lacking a security or credit freeze law now.
New Health Privacy Resource -- The Patient's Guide to HIPAA is the first comprehensive guide to medical privacy written expressly for patients with a practical eye as to how to use the law to protect privacy. It is a major privacy resource for patients, written directly and without legalese. The ...
“This guide is not just a retread of what HIPAA is and does,” said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum. “Our guide gives patients practical details and strategies on how they can use the law to protect their privacy and navigate the medical system. Best of all, it is easy to use.”
Do not submit your SSN or date of birth to a kiosk or a Web site that does not have a privacy policy posted prominently prior to the time this information is requested of you. If you do, you truly lose control of this information. If you have any arrests or suspended convictions in your background, you may want to think twice about agreeing to an “instant” or “national” background check online. Some (but not all) of these national credit checks that are conducted through accessing proprietary databases online pick up and report information that should not be reported, such as suspended convictions.
Identity theft | Consumer Alert -- The Federal Trade Commission has set up a new web site and phone number for identity theft victims of the Choicepoint data breach. The new site and phone number gives victims information on how to file claims for monetary reimbursement if out- of- pocket losses accrued as a result of the ID theft. A fund of $5 million is available to victims, the deadline for filing is February 4, 2007.
Medical records privacy and how-to -- Following its report on medical identity theft, the World Privacy Forum has responded to the need for specialized advice for victims of medical identity theft. The Access, Amendment, and Accounting of Disclosures: FAQs for Medical ID Theft Victims is the first resource of its kind, and is intended to help victims navigate the complicated process of correcting medical files and recovering from the unique harms of medical identity theft. The FAQ includes sample letters to use, as well as step-by-step advice on how to get a copy of health records, ask for changes to health records from healthcare providers, and ask for a history of disclosures of health records.
The World Privacy Forum and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse have become aware of a nationwide job scam currently in action. We are advising job seekers to avoid any response to job ads coming from Macrocommerce Intersales and to be aware of the high potential for financial fraud and /or identity theft if they have already responded to job ads from this company.
Consumer tips on managing cookies -- Some computer cookies are harmless, but others can track your moves across many Web sites, eventually building a detailed history of your preferences. The good news is that you can manage these persistent tracking cookies to some degree. To do this, you need to know how to say no to the third party tracking cookies you don't want while still allowing yourself to say yes to the cookies you do want. There are several ways to do this. One way is to download "opt-out cookies." Another way is to use your browser's cookie management tools to manage your cookies. Another method is to regularly delete unwanted cookies. In some cases, you can stop tracking through account preferences at some web sites.
