Keeping Your Personal Information Private
Personal data is generated in nearly every action you take online, and for many businesses, having access to personal data is like striking gold. From what you search for to each purchase you make, your actions are being tracked and compiled to build a profile of your interests and spending habits. It is easy to underestimate just how much data organizations can collect, and consumers are often unaware of how much of their information is being recorded. This creates a perfect opportunity for fraudsters to attempt to hack your online accounts, swipe available funds or compromise your identity.
Limit the data you share
While some of your data has to be shared with others from time to time, like your credit history with credit bureaus and financial institutions, you can place limits on the types of information you choose to provide.
One way to limit sharing is to consider the types of information being requested for the services you are needing. For example, you may not mind enabling an online map application to access your device’s GPS location, but you might be unwilling to allow a social media app to do the same. Other types of requested sensitive information may include:
- Personal identifiers – your full name, birth date and contact information
- Health data – information stored in health-related software or websites you may use
- Purchase history – transaction data from your debit/credit card or mobile purchases
- Financial information – payment history and credit scores
Another step in protecting your data is to review the services to which you have subscribed. If there is an app you have not used in months, it is often best to uninstall it from your device since it could be collecting your information in the background. Likewise, if you only need an app or service for a brief period, it may not be worth granting access to your data at all.
Lastly, if there’s a service you want to keep, there are ways to limit the information you provide. Most applications list specific tracking preferences under a smart device’s settings option where you can enable or disable sharing various data. Also, websites and apps you frequent may ask you to allow them to track your activity, which you can simply decline or opt-out of at any time.
How data security plays a role
Along with controlling what you share, strengthening your data security can play a big role in protecting your personal information. Below are a few basic recommendations to keep your sensitive information out of the hands of criminals.
- Create strong and unique passwords that are difficult to guess.
- Keep your software up-to-date with the latest versions to avoid any security vulnerabilities.
- Enable multifactor authentication when available for an extra layer of protection.
- Recognize phishing messages that attempt to get you to divulge personal or financial information. Do not click on suspicious links or provide financial information without first verifying the request with the sender via a confirmed phone number or email address1.
By making it harder for fraudsters to gain access to your data and actively monitoring the types of information you share, you can better ensure that the only people who have your private information are those with whom you want to share it.
Trustmark’s mobile app, myTrustmark®, offers several ways to help keep your financial data confidential. You can receive and make secure payments through Person to Person (P2P) payments, enable account alert notifications, view all of your accounts in one place and more all from the app. To learn about the benefits and features of myTrustmark, visit our Online & Mobile Banking page.
1 Trustmark will never request confidential information via email, text, phone or social media; however, we may ask you for your information to verify your identity if you contact us. If you receive any unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls allegedly from Trustmark requesting confidential information, contact us immediately at 800.243.2524, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT.
