ORANGE, Calif. — Another week, another privacy hack that results in the home addresses of thousands of people leaked to the Internet – a violation that may result in tragedy.
The latest victim is T-Mobile announced that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late November and stole data on 37 million customers, including addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.
Our response? It is always the same. We are not surprised by these stories because these attacks happen all the time. Only the names of the targets change.
Headlines like this no longer shock or even concern most people. But they should not be dismissed so casually, because these leaks can be extremely dangerous. It’s not just the annoying robocalls and fear of identity theft that can result – for those in certain professions, like judges and police officers, having your address leaked can threaten the security of your home and the safety of your family.
The number of professionals under threat has grown exponentially. It’s not just judges now, but also court clerks and other criminal justice personnel; it’s not only political candidates, but also election workers. Journalists and social workers also are at risk of violent repercussions for doing their job. These incidents happen all the time as well – and they don’t receive the same media attention.
We offer IronWall360 online privacy protection to those in these at-risk professions. We scan the Internet every day for places online where our clients’ addresses are displayed, and we make sure that content comes down. Those that refuse to comply are referred to the Attorney General’s office, or sued in court – one way or another, that information disappears. In addition, we also offer preventative safeguards that lower the amount of information that needs to be removed, providing additional fortification that is unmatched in the online privacy protection industry.
Many companies and organizations provide credit monitoring to track identity theft problems that result from leaks. But with online privacy protection personal data is removed ahead of time, so there isn’t as much damage to clean up after a hack or data breach. If your information was leaked and you had come to us first, you would already be significantly insulated from any negative consequences.
If it’s too late now, we can still help. NordVPN, a partner in 360Civic’s prevention efforts that specializes in cybersecurity, has published an informative article on online privacy and how individuals and organizations can protect themselves once their information is exposed.
360Civic has published Protecting Your Privacy Online: How to Identify, Protect and Remove Your Private Information from Websites, an eBook that offers specific steps that can be taken to delete your personal information from the Internet.
But being a victim once does not mean you can’t be a victim again. How many places have your home address? Employers, retailers, insurance companies, banks, doctor’s offices, delivery services…they all get hacked. And when they do your home address and other private content will be leaked, shared, and sold. If you are in a profession where that situation may result in threats, vandalism, or violence, it is imperative that you take precautions now. Contact us about online privacy protection, or speak with your employer about providing this protection for everyone at your workplace.
About 360Civic
IronWall360, provided by 360Civic, works with superior courts, law enforcement agencies, human service departments, and other public servants as a legally-contracted agent, to formally remove any personal information from any website in violation of state and federal restrictions. For more information, visit https://360civic.com/IronWall360