Thursday, December 1, 2016

15 Tips On How To Stay Safe Online and Two Website's Privacy Policy

With more and more people gaining access to the Internet every day, the importance of ensuring that you and your information remain secure while using the Internet for personal or business reasons cannot be stressed enough.  Cyber attacks, viruses, malware, and unwanted intrusions into “secure” computing systems occur frequently and these issues cannot be completely eradicated.  The solution is to practice safe computing habits, educate yourself about security threats and prevention methods, and always use strategies and options that minimize your exposure to risk.
Here are fifteen important tips for staying safe while using the internet and keeping your computer and your personal data as secure as possible:
01. Disable the Auto-Run feature in Windows.  This built-in Windows component allows silent programs to execute without your knowledge because auto-run grants them permission to initiate without obtaining active consent.
02. Always have an anti-virus program on your computer and keep it updated.  There are plenty of free or very inexpensive anti-virus programs available, so you have no excuse for not having one.  Make sure you set the program up to do a full scan at least once a week.
03.Do not turn off the Firewall options on your computer, even if a program claims the Firewall needs to be disabled for the program to work.  Firewall settings allow you set program-specific exceptions without disabling the protection altogether.
04.When choosing passwords for online sites or online accounts (bank accounts, Pay Pal, etc.), make sure you never use the same password for multiple sites, use a mixture of upper and lower case letters and numbers (and symbols if they are allowed), avoid using personal information (birth date, maiden name, social security number), never use a password of less than 10 characters, and combine words or create nonsensical ones.  The harder your password is for you to remember, the more difficult it will be for someone else to guess it!
05.Update the core components of your computer’s software regularly, or set the system to automatically find and download updates.  The most common example of this is Windows Update for Microsoft operating systems.
06.While it is tempting to download free movies, music, and software from torrent sites, it can also be very harmful to your computer.  Torrent content is generally unverified and frequently contains viruses or other harmful malware.
07.E-mail has become a common way for viruses, scams, and phishing activities to obtain information or compromise your computer.  When reading your e-mails, never click on an embedded link in the message unless you know the destination (you can find this out by hovering your mouse over the link).  This applies to messages from people you know, also, because most web-based e-mail accounts (Yahoo!, Gmail, etc.) can be compromised.
08.Disable Java (not JavaScript) in your internet browser.  Exploits through Java occur frequently, even though Java itself it almost never needed when using the internet.
09.While Internet Explorer is very popular, it lacks a feature included in Mozilla Firefox that makes Firefox a safer browser to use, particularly if you are susceptible to JavaScript threats.  Firefox has a NoScript add-on that blocks all JavaScript programs from sites that you have not approved.
10. Back up important data on your computer to an external drive or storage location (an online “cloud” or flash drive) regularly to prevent total loss in the event your computer is stricken with a virus or other harmful malware.
11. System recovery questions ask for basic information like your mother’s maiden name, the name of your hometown, or your pet’s name.  This information is also likely contained somewhere on your Facebook page.  When providing recovery responses, treat them like passwords and never provide actual information that can be freely found elsewhere on the internet.
12. Never open or run executable files directly from the internet.  Download them to your computer’s hard drive or an external storage device and perform a virus scan first.
13. Establish more than one e-mail address for multiple purposes.  For example, you could have one e-mail address known only to close friends and family members, another for online banking and financial transactions, and another for online gaming purposes.  This reduces the amount of potential spam, malware threats, and phishing risks you are exposed to.
14. If you have a supplemental firewall program such as Comodo or ZoneAlarm that asks for permission when an unknown program is attempting to download a file, connect to your computer, or execute a program, never allow the action unless you know what the program or file is first and are sure it is from a trusted source.
15. When using social media such as Facebook, be cautious about what personal information you share.  What you post on the internet is visible to everyone and can be used in a harmful or damaging way.  Another Facebook tip is to avoid accepting friend requests from people you don’t know personally.  While it may be “cool” to have 10,000 friends, how many of them are you positive you can trust with your personal information?
Protecting your sensitive or confidential information and keeping your computer or internet-enabled mobile device safe from unwanted intrusions is essential in our internet-driven society.  Follow the tips provided here and continue to educate yourself further about ways to stay secure while using the internet, regardless of what your online activities consist of or how you access the online world.  When it comes to internet security, an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure.


GOOGLE.COM's Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

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Last modified: August 29, 2016 (view archived versions)
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There are many different ways you can use our services – to search for and share information, to communicate with other people or to create new content. When you share information with us, for example by creating a Google Account, we can make those services even better – to show you more relevant search results and ads, to help you connect with people or to make sharing with others quicker and easier. As you use our services, we want you to be clear how we’re using information and the ways in which you can protect your privacy.
Our Privacy Policy explains:
  • What information we collect and why we collect it.
  • How we use that information.
  • The choices we offer, including how to access and update information.
We’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible, but if you’re not familiar with terms like cookies, IP addresses, pixel tags and browsers, then read about these key terms first. Your privacy matters to Google so whether you are new to Google or a long-time user, please do take the time to get to know our practices – and if you have any questions contact us.
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Information we collect

We collect information to provide better services to all of our users – from figuring out basic stuff like which language you speak, to more complex things like which ads you’ll find most useful, the people who matter most to you online, or which YouTube videos you might like.
We collect information in the following ways:
  • Information you give us. For example, many of our services require you to sign up for a Google Account. When you do, we’ll ask for personal information, like your name, email address, telephone number or credit card to store with your account. If you want to take full advantage of the sharing features we offer, we might also ask you to create a publicly visible Google Profile, which may include your name and photo.
  • Information we get from your use of our services. We collect information about the services that you use and how you use them, like when you watch a video on YouTube, visit a website that uses our advertising services, or view and interact with our ads and content. This information includes:
    • We collect device-specific information (such as your hardware model, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information including phone number). Google may associate your device identifiers or phone number with your Google Account.
    • Log information
      When you use our services or view content provided by Google, we automatically collect and store certain information in server logs. This includes:
      • details of how you used our service, such as your search queries.
      • telephony log information like your phone number, calling-party number, forwarding numbers, time and date of calls, duration of calls, SMS routing information and types of calls.
      • Internet protocol address.
      • device event information such as crashes, system activity, hardware settings, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and referral URL.
      • cookies that may uniquely identify your browser or your Google Account.
    • Location information
      When you use Google services, we may collect and process information about your actual location. We use various technologies to determine location, including IP address, GPS, and other sensors that may, for example, provide Google with information on nearby devices, Wi-Fi access points and cell towers.
    • Unique application numbers
      Certain services include a unique application number. This number and information about your installation (for example, the operating system type and application version number) may be sent to Google when you install or uninstall that service or when that service periodically contacts our servers, such as for automatic updates.
    • Local storage
      We may collect and store information (including personal information) locally on your device using mechanisms such as browser web storage (including HTML 5) andapplication data caches.
    • Cookies and similar technologies
      We and our partners use various technologies to collect and store information when you visit a Google service, and this may include using cookies or similar technologies to identify your browser or device. We also use these technologies to collect and store information when you interact with services we offer to our partners, such as advertising services or Google features that may appear on other sites. Our Google Analytics product helps businesses and site owners analyze the traffic to their websites and apps. When used in conjunction with our advertising services, such as those using the DoubleClick cookie, Google Analytics information is linked, by the Google Analytics customer or by Google, using Google technology, with information about visits to multiple sites.
Information we collect when you are signed in to Google, in addition to information we obtain about you from partners, may be associated with your Google Account. When information is associated with your Google Account, we treat it as personal information. For more information about how you can access, manage or delete information that is associated with your Google Account, visit theTransparency and choice section of this policy.

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How we use information we collect

We use the information we collect from all of our services to provide, maintain, protect and improve them, to develop new ones, and to protect Google and our users. We also use this information to offer you tailored content – like giving you more relevant search results and ads.
We may use the name you provide for your Google Profile across all of the services we offer that require a Google Account. In addition, we may replace past names associated with your Google Account so that you are represented consistently across all our services. If other users already have your email, or other information that identifies you, we may show them your publicly visible Google Profile information, such as your name and photo.
If you have a Google Account, we may display your Profile name, Profile photo, and actions you take on Google or on third-party applications connected to your Google Account (such as +1’s, reviews you write and comments you post) in our services, including displaying in ads and other commercial contexts. We will respect the choices you make to limit sharing or visibility settings in your Google Account.
When you contact Google, we keep a record of your communication to help solve any issues you might be facing. We may use your email address to inform you about our services, such as letting you know about upcoming changes or improvements.
We use information collected from cookies and other technologies, like pixel tags, to improve your user experience and the overall quality of our services. One of the products we use to do this on our own services is Google Analytics. For example, by saving your language preferences, we’ll be able to have our services appear in the language you prefer. When showing you tailored ads, we will not associate an identifier from cookies or similar technologies with sensitive categories, such as those based on race, religion, sexual orientation or health.
Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection.
We may combine personal information from one service with information, including personal information, from other Google services – for example to make it easier to share things with people you know. Depending on your account settings, your activity on other sites and apps may be associated with your personal information in order to improve Google’s services and the ads delivered by Google.
We will ask for your consent before using information for a purpose other than those that are set out in this Privacy Policy.
Google processes personal information on our servers in many countries around the world. We may process your personal information on a server located outside the country where you live.

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Transparency and choice

People have different privacy concerns. Our goal is to be clear about what information we collect, so that you can make meaningful choices about how it is used. For example, you can:
  • Review and update your Google activity controls to decide what types of data, such as videos you’ve watched on YouTube or past searches, you would like saved with your account when you use Google services. You can also visit these controls to manage whether certain activity is stored in a cookie or similar technology on your device when you use our services while signed-out of your account.
  • Review and control certain types of information tied to your Google Account by using Google Dashboard.
  • View and edit your preferences about the Google ads shown to you on Google and across the web, such as which categories might interest you, using Ads Settings. You can also visit that page to opt out of certain Google advertising services.
  • Adjust how the Profile associated with your Google Account appears to others.
  • Control who you share information with through your Google Account.
  • Take information associated with your Google Account out of many of our services.
  • Choose whether your Profile name and Profile photo appear in shared endorsements that appear in ads.
You may also set your browser to block all cookies, including cookies associated with our services, or to indicate when a cookie is being set by us. However, it’s important to remember that many of our services may not function properly if your cookies are disabled. For example, we may not remember your language preferences.
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Information you share

Many of our services let you share information with others. Remember that when you share information publicly, it may be indexable by search engines, including Google. Our services provide you with different options on sharing and removing your content.

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Accessing and updating your personal information

Whenever you use our services, we aim to provide you with access to your personal information. If that information is wrong, we strive to give you ways to update it quickly or to delete it – unless we have to keep that information for legitimate business or legal purposes. When updating your personal information, we may ask you to verify your identity before we can act on your request.
We may reject requests that are unreasonably repetitive, require disproportionate technical effort (for example, developing a new system or fundamentally changing an existing practice), risk the privacy of others, or would be extremely impractical (for instance, requests concerning information residing on backup systems).
Where we can provide information access and correction, we will do so for free, except where it would require a disproportionate effort. We aim to maintain our services in a manner that protects information from accidental or malicious destruction. Because of this, after you delete information from our services, we may not immediately delete residual copies from our active servers and may not remove information from our backup systems.

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Information we share

We do not share personal information with companies, organizations and individuals outside of Google unless one of the following circumstances applies:
  • With your consent
    We will share personal information with companies, organizations or individuals outside of Google when we have your consent to do so. We require opt-in consent for the sharing of anysensitive personal information.
  • With domain administrators
    If your Google Account is managed for you by a domain administrator (for example, for Google Apps users) then your domain administrator and resellers who provide user support to your organization will have access to your Google Account information (including your email and other data). Your domain administrator may be able to:
    • view statistics regarding your account, like statistics regarding applications you install.
    • change your account password.
    • suspend or terminate your account access.
    • access or retain information stored as part of your account.
    • receive your account information in order to satisfy applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.
    • restrict your ability to delete or edit information or privacy settings.
    Please refer to your domain administrator’s privacy policy for more information.
  • For external processing
    We provide personal information to our affiliates or other trusted businesses or persons to process it for us, based on our instructions and in compliance with our Privacy Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
  • For legal reasons
    We will share personal information with companies, organizations or individuals outside of Google if we have a good-faith belief that access, use, preservation or disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary to:
    • meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.
    • enforce applicable Terms of Service, including investigation of potential violations.
    • detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues.
    • protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of Google, our users or the public as required or permitted by law.
We may share non-personally identifiable information publicly and with our partners – like publishers, advertisers or connected sites. For example, we may share information publicly to show trends about the general use of our services.
If Google is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, we will continue to ensure the confidentiality of any personal information and give affected users notice before personal information is transferred or becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

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Information security

We work hard to protect Google and our users from unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of information we hold. In particular:
  • We encrypt many of our services using SSL.
  • We offer you two step verification when you access your Google Account, and a Safe Browsing feature in Google Chrome.
  • We review our information collection, storage and processing practices, including physical security measures, to guard against unauthorized access to systems.
  • We restrict access to personal information to Google employees, contractors and agents who need to know that information in order to process it for us, and who are subject to strict contractual confidentiality obligations and may be disciplined or terminated if they fail to meet these obligations.

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When this Privacy Policy applies

Our Privacy Policy applies to all of the services offered by Google Inc. and its affiliates, including YouTube, services Google provides on Android devices, and services offered on other sites (such as our advertising services), but excludes services that have separate privacy policies that do not incorporate this Privacy Policy.
Our Privacy Policy does not apply to services offered by other companies or individuals, including products or sites that may be displayed to you in search results, sites that may include Google services, or other sites linked from our services. Our Privacy Policy does not cover the information practices of other companies and organizations who advertise our services, and who may use cookies, pixel tags and other technologies to serve and offer relevant ads.

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Compliance and cooperation with regulatory authorities

We regularly review our compliance with our Privacy Policy. We also adhere to several self regulatory frameworks, including the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework. When we receive formal written complaints, we will contact the person who made the complaint to follow up. We work with the appropriate regulatory authorities, including local data protection authorities, to resolve any complaints regarding the transfer of personal data that we cannot resolve with our users directly.

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Changes

Our Privacy Policy may change from time to time. We will not reduce your rights under this Privacy Policy without your explicit consent. We will post any privacy policy changes on this page and, if the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice (including, for certain services, email notification of privacy policy changes). We will also keep prior versions of this Privacy Policy in an archive for your review.

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Specific product practices

The following notices explain specific privacy practices with respect to certain Google products and services that you may use:
For more information about some of our most popular services, you can visit the Google Product Privacy Guide.

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Further useful privacy and security related materials can be found through Google’s policies and principles pages, including:

We keep your personal information private and safe — and put you in control.



2. Yahoo.com's Privacy Policy

Yahoo Privacy Center

 
Welcome to the Yahoo Privacy Center -- take a look around. You'll learn how Yahoo treats your personal information, along with ways to control your preferences and settings. As always, Yahoo is committed to gaining your trust.

What This Privacy Policy Covers

Yahoo takes your privacy seriously. Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy.
The federal government and technology industry have developed practical tips to help you guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer and protect your personal information.
How Yahoo Uses Your Personal Information
This policy covers how Yahoo treats personal information that Yahoo collects and receives, including information related to your past use of Yahoo products and services. Personal information is information about you that is personally identifiable like your name, address, email address, or phone number, and that is not otherwise publicly available.
This privacy policy only applies to Yahoo
This policy does not apply to the practices of companies that Yahoo does not own or control, or to people that Yahoo does not employ or manage. In addition, some companies that Yahoo has acquired have their own, preexisting privacy policies which may be viewed on our affiliates page.
Data Transfer
Your personal information may be transferred to countries other than your own to process and store data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and to provide you with products and services. Some of these countries may not have the same data protection safeguards as the country where you reside. Yahoo may process personal information related to individuals in the EU and may transfer that information from the EU through various compliance mechanisms, including data processing agreements based on the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. By using our products and services, you consent to us transferring your data to these countries. We are committed to ensuring your information is protected and apply safeguards in accordance with applicable law.
For more information, please visit our Data Transfer page.

Information Collection & Use

General
Yahoo collects personal information when you register with Yahoo, when you use Yahoo products or services, when you visit Yahoo pages or the pages of certain Yahoo partners, and when you enter promotions or sweepstakes. Yahoo may combine information about you that we have with information we obtain from business partners or other companies.
When you register we ask for information such as your name, email address, birth date, gender, ZIP code, occupation, industry, and personal interests. For some financial products and services we might also ask for your address, Social Security number, and information about your assets. When you register with Yahoo and sign in to our services, you are not anonymous to us.
Yahoo collects information about your transactions with us and with some of our business partners, including information about your use of financial products and services that we offer.
Yahoo analyzes and stores all communications content, including email content from incoming and outgoing email.
Yahoo automatically receives and records information from your computer and browser, including your IP address, Yahoo cookie information, software and hardware attributes, and the page you request.
Yahoo uses information for the following general purposes: to customize the advertising and content you see, fulfill your requests for products and services, improve our services, contact you, conduct research, and provide anonymous reporting for internal and external clients.
Children
With parental permission, a child under age 13 might have a Yahoo Family Account. Visit Children's Privacy & Family Accounts to learn more about children’s privacy on Yahoo.

Information Sharing & Disclosure

Yahoo does not rent, sell, or share personal information about you with other people or non-affiliated companies except to provide products or services you've requested, when we have your permission, or under the following circumstances:
  • We provide the information to trusted partners who work on behalf of or with Yahoo under confidentiality agreements. These companies may use your personal information to help Yahoo communicate with you about offers from Yahoo and our marketing partners. However, these companies do not have any independent right to share this information.
  • We have a parent's permission to share the information if the user is a child under age 13. See Children's Privacy & Family Accounts for more information about our privacy practices for children under 13 .
  • We respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process (such as law enforcement requests), or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims.
  • We believe it is necessary to share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of Yahoo's terms of use, or as otherwise required by law.
  • We transfer information about you if Yahoo is acquired by or merged with another company. In this event, Yahoo will notify you before information about you is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
Yahoo displays targeted advertisements based on personal information. Advertisers (including ad serving companies) may assume that people who interact with, view, or click targeted ads meet the targeting criteria—for example, women ages 18-24 from a particular geographic area.
  • Yahoo does not provide any personal information to the advertiser when you interact with or view a targeted ad. However, by interacting with or viewing an ad you are consenting to the possibility that the advertiser will make the assumption that you meet the targeting criteria used to display the ad.
  • Yahoo advertisers include financial service providers (such as banks, insurance agents, stock brokers and mortgage lenders) and non-financial companies (such as stores, airlines, and software companies).
Yahoo works with vendors, partners, advertisers, and other service providers in different industries and categories of business. For more information regarding providers of products or services that you've requested please read our detailed reference links.

Cookies & Similar Technologies

Yahoo may set and access Yahoo cookies on your computer. We may also set and access device identifiers which could include IP address, user agent information (browser version, OS type and version), and device provided identifiers. Once you log into Yahoo on your device, Yahoo may recognize your device to provide you with a personalized experience, independent of your device settings. You can control your personalized experience across Yahoo through our Ad Interest Manager. Learn more.
Yahoo lets other companies that show advertisements on some of our pages set and access their cookies on your computer. Other companies' use of their cookies and device identifiers is subject to their own privacy policies, not this one. Advertisers or other companies do not have access to Yahoo's cookies.
Yahoo uses web beacons to access Yahoo cookies inside and outside our network of web sites and in connection with Yahoo products and services.

Your Ability to Edit and Delete Your Account Information and Preferences

You can edit your Yahoo Account Information, including your marketing preferences, at any time. You can also modify information you have provided to Yahoo through the Yahoo products or services you may use.
New categories of marketing communications might be added to the Marketing Preferences page from time to time. Users who visit this page can opt out of receiving future marketing communications from these new categories or they can unsubscribe by following instructions contained in the messages they receive.
We reserve the right to send you certain communications relating to the Yahoo service, such as service announcements, administrative messages and the Yahoo Newsletter, that are considered part of your Yahoo account, without offering you the opportunity to opt out of receiving them.
You can delete your Yahoo account by visiting our Account Deletion page. Please click here to read about information that might possibly remain in our archived records after your account has been deleted.

Confidentiality & Security

We limit access to personal information about you to employees who we believe reasonably need to come into contact with that information to provide products or services to you or in order to do their jobs.
We have physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to protect personal information about you.
To learn more about security, including the security steps we have taken and security steps you can take, please read Security at Yahoo.

Changes to This Policy

Yahoo may update this policy. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat personal information by sending a notice to the primary email address specified in your Yahoo account or by placing a prominent notice on our site.

Questions & Suggestions

If you have questions, suggestions, or wish to make a complaint, please complete a feedback form or you can contact us at:
Yahoo! Inc.
Customer Care - Privacy Policy Issues
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
(408) 349-5070
If you feel that your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, please click here for information on consumer agencies that may be able to provide you with additional assistance.
Last Updated: November 23, 2016
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