You leave an electronic trail every time you use a credit card, rent a DVD, mail in a rebate form, go to the doctor, open a bank account, or surf the Internet at home and at work.

News stories about identity theft, anti-terrorist legislation, cyber-stalking, marketing databases, and employer surveillance practices are evidence that your privacy is violated more and more every day. Using examples from real-life situations, Prying Eyes reveals how, often without your knowledge, people use your personal information to sell to you, snoop on you, and steal from you.

Eric Gertler reveals how to minimize your exposure in every facet of life–at home, at the office, on vacation, at the store, at the doctor’s office, online, and on your cell phone. Beyond reporting and speculation, Prying Eyes will empower you to take charge of your personal information before someone else does.

You will learn:
·How information about your bank account, credit, and purchases is tracked, stored, and accessed–and how to limit your exposure.
·How to protect yourself from identity theft–and how to recover if you’ve been a victim.
·Risks to your privacy at work–why it is important to separate your personal life from your business life.
·Threats to your medical files–who has access to them how they’re commonly mishandled, and how to prevent information from getting into the wrong hands.

From Publishers Weekly
Recently, the media and book authors have focused on the dangers to our privacy posed by the growing electronic network connecting all aspects of our lives, from medical records to online shopping. But Gertler offers more—practical ways to protect your privacy from invasion and your identity from theft (no small problem: according to Gertler, 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2003). In this amiable and readable handbook, Gertler, an expert on privacy and identity theft and former CEO of Privista, advises on how to prevent your Social Security number from being sold on the Internet; reduce access to your credit report; and check the security on a Web site when you make a purchase, among many other tips. And if you thought your workplace was safe, Gertler details how increasingly intrusive employers are becoming—and employers, an ACLU staffer points out, are "beyond the reach of the Constitution." Gertler offers lots of scary anecdotes illustrating how easily others can gain access to your personal information and abuse it, and little sidebars highlight important points. Some may find Gertler's approach too comprehensive—they may not need the constitutional history of the right to privacy. But for patient readers who want a grasp of the issues as well as practical tips, Gertler's guide to identity security is indispensable.

Contents

“

Acknowledgments Introduction: Your Life 1 What Privacy Means to You Do You Have a Constitutional Right to Privacy? New Challenges to Your Privacy September 11 and Your Privacy Privacy and the Rest of the World Where Do You Go from Here? 2 Your Personal Information and the Public Record Information Contained in Public Records Access to Public Records Data Aggregators and Uncle Sam The Privacy Act of 1974 and the Freedom of Information Act Your Personal Documents Official Certificates Government-Related Documents Property Holdings Bankruptcies Protecting Your Most Personal Documents The Bottom Line 3 Your Identity How to Reduce Your Chances of Being a Victim The Law on Identity Theft What to Do if You Are a Victim Should You Buy Identity Theft Insurance? The Virtues of Being Organized Long-Term Consequences The Bottom Line 4 Your Credit Your Credit Report Is More Important Than You Think What's in Your Credit Report? How Credit Bureaus Get Your Personal Information Order Your Report Now What Laws Protect You? Your Credit Score Who Accesses Your Credit Report and Score How to Reduce Access to Your Credit Report Credit Scams Credit Tips to Protect Your Privacy How to Correct Errors on Your Report The Bottom Line 5 Your Money What Financial Institutions Know About You Federal Protection for Your Financial Privacy How to Use the Law to Protect Your Financial Privacy Warning: Your Financial Records May Reveal Information About Your Health When Stolen Information Becomes Stolen Money Online Banking and Online Payment Take Control of Your Financial Documents The Bottom Line 6 Your Shopping A Trade in Personal Information How Companies Track You Shopping Online Privacy Policies Paying for an Online Purchase What the Law Says Auctions Protect Your Privacy When Shopping The Bottom Line 7 Your Computer and the Internet How Sites Track You Surfing with Shades Hackers and Virus Writers and the Programs They Create What Else Is Out to Get You: Web Bugs, Spiders, Spyware, and More Spam or Junk E-mail Public Areas on the Internet Antispam Legislation E-mail and Instant Messaging Protect Your Privacy Online The Bottom Line 8 Your Home Your Property Privacy Issues in Your Home Unsolicited or Junk Mail The Bottom Line 9 Your Workplace Pre-Employment Online Career Sites On the Job Types of Surveillance at Your Workplace Off-Duty Conduct Protect Your Privacy in the Workplace The Bottom Line 10 Your Health The Contents of Your Medical Records Other Sources of Your Medical Information Your Protections Under HIPAA and Their Limits The Medical Profilers Access to Your Personal Medical Records How to Request Your MIB Medical Records Medical Privacy in Practice: Separating Fact from Fiction Protect Your Medical Privacy The Bottom Line 11 Your Everyday Life Privacy and the Patriot Act Carnivore Airline Travel Cell Phones Your Image Tracking Technologies Your Leisure Time College and University Education Criminal Law Records The Bottom Line 12 I Spy, You Spy Using the Internet to Conduct Searches Public Records Locator Services Spyware or Snoopware Products You Can Buy Special Situations Hiring a Private Detective or Investigator Stalking Basic Sleuthing The Bottom Line 13 The Future of Privacy Notes Resources Index

”