A reminder to be 'privacy aware'

Jan. 28 is Data Privacy Day. The Division of Institutional Compliance and Privacy reminds you to take a minute to check your privacy awareness and take these steps from Stay Safe Online to protect your privacy.

1. Do your homework. Read product info and user reviews about any device you are connecting to the internet (smart TV, smart home appliances, etc.) to understand security features and any privacy concerns.

2. Own your online presence. Check your privacy and security settings in apps and on devices to configure them to be more secure. Turn off location tracking if not needed.

3. Keep a clean machine. Update software regularly, either manually or automatically, to reduce the risk of malware and ransomware.

4. Make long, unique passphrases. Longer passwords are more secure, so use at least 12 characters and think of a sentence or phrase to make it easier for you to remember.

5. Use two-factor authentication. Turn on multi-factor authentication which requires an additional piece of information to access your account, providing another layer of security.

6. Less info is more. Limit what information you put online when creating accounts. If it is not required, do not add it; or if it is, consider putting an alternate name or birthdate, for example.

Check out our privacy resources on the Office of Audit, Compliance & Privacy website to learn more about protecting your personal information.