online privacy protection

Judges, courts, police departments and healthcare providers expect results when they contract with an online privacy protection provider. They recognize the dangers of having personally identifiable information (PII) on their personnel easily available on thousands of websites, and expect the company they hire to address this serious issue.

That’s what we do. But we can’t say the same for other providers.

One of our more prominent competitors says they’ll remove your PII from data brokers – but sometimes they can’t unless you do their job for them.

To pay or not to pay – that is the question regarding ransomware attacks against municipal services. But if some states have their way, victims may no longer have a choice.

Two states – North Carolina and Florida – have passed legislation prohibiting public ransomware payments, and other states are considering similar measures. But it’s too early to tell yet whether such laws have had an impact. In the less than three years since the North Carolina bill passed, attacks have dipped slightly and still number in the hundreds.

QR codes. Some people love them, some people still haven’t figured out how they work. The tech-savvy among us might scoff at those folks, but at least they won’t be victims of the latest way hackers are stealing from us.

People across the US have received packages containing a ring and a few cards, one of which has a QR code on the back. Curious to find out why this unexpected gift arrived, they scanned the code with their phone and gave hackers access to personal information that could be used to access their bank accounts.

“Thank you, but we already have identity theft protection.”

Our salespeople occasionally hear this response from decision-makers at prestigious national organizations. They believe identity theft protection is the same as online privacy protection, and assume that having one means they don't need the other.

The Crucial Difference

Think of it this way:

Colorado's new privacy legislation went into effect on July 1, joining several other states in enhancing privacy protections. That’s the good news. And now that residents in these states have a right to opt out of having their personal information collected, shared and sold, the next step is to find a way to make that happen, as quickly and efficiently as possible.