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4.4 Sharing Personal Information on the Internet

Before you participate in a sweepstakes, survey, “free gift,” or trial offer, make sure you know
that the company sponsoring the sweepstakes is reputable. Do not respond to an e-mail mes-
sage or click a link in the message unless you are sure the message is legitimate. If possible,
go directly to the organization’s website to participate, rather than responding through an
e-mail message or link. Also, read the terms and conditions of the sweepstakes or survey to
determine what the company will do with the information it collects.

Similarly, when you purchase products and the manufacturer asks you to register your prod-
uct, either online or by mailing a registration card, determine if registration is necessary. To
do so, consider the following three questions:

1. Is this information required for you to be protected by the product warranty? If not,
the company may want the information to inform you of product updates or for mar-
keting purposes. Decide if those are important enough reasons for you to register.
2. Is the information the company requests reasonable and related to the product you
purchased? Look at the type of information you have been requested to provide and
decide if you would be willing to share this information with family or close friends.
3. Can the information you provide be shared with third parties? Read the terms and
conditions instead of just automatically clicking “I accept.” Make sure you fully under-
stand what you are agreeing to. If the information will be shared with others, decide if
you are willing for it to become public knowledge.

Sometimes the information we voluntarily provide online may actually be helpful to us, such
as when a company learns that we subscribe to a certain magazine and sends us a promo-
tion to save money when we renew
our subscription. However, remem-
ber that electronic data can be per-
manent. We never know where this
information goes, who will obtain it,
how reputable they are, and what they
might do with that information. So
think carefully before clicking every
sweepstakes, survey, or promotional
offer presented to you.

Note that sweepstakes, surveys, and
promotional offers are not the only
methods criminals try to steal our Chairboy/iStock/Thinkstock
information. Check out A Closer Look: Be careful when listing your address, phone num-
Top Five Social Media Scams for other ber, or other personal information on sweepstakes
potential social media scams you or contest forms. This information could potentially
might see. be shared with third parties.

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